


The Little Red to your Wolf

by SassySteter (Sterekismyotp)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Laura Hale, Alternate Universe, BAMF Stiles, BDSM, Brotp, Brotp Stiles and Derek, Dom!Peter, Dom/sub, Drag Queens, F/M, Female Stiles Stilinski, Hale Family Feels, Matchmaking, Multi, Pack Bonding, Pack Feels, Pack Mother Stiles Stilinski, Pansexual stiles, Past Relationship(s), Peter is a Good Dom, Prior Abuse, Protective Pack, Protectiveness, Psychological Trauma, Rafael is a Bad Dom, Slow Burn, Smut, Stiles is Part of the Pack, Stiles loves drag queens, The Hale Family, Triggers, True Mates, Wolf Peter, sub!Stiles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-03-17
Updated: 2015-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-16 02:38:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 68,188
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1328809
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sterekismyotp/pseuds/SassySteter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stiles is sent to Canada by the Hale pack after her Ex-Husband FBI Agent Rafael McCall goes missing during his arrest, in order to protect their human Pack member. </p><p>Peter after years of being being "exiled"(So he calls it) to Canada to cool his heels so as to not exact revenge on Kate for killing his wife and unborn child. Peter gets the shock of his life when he stumbles upon his true mate running in the woods. A mate who smells like his pack.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *update* 25/07/2014 The amazing bitchinachinashop has agreed to be my BETA and is slowly wadding through my chapters and making them even better by being grammatically correct! XD. Ive gotten my first two chapters back just trying to get them loaded on here. Let me just say she is the most Badass BETA ever! 
> 
> \-----  
> Guys I live for comments :D  
> Special thanks to my Wonderfull FaeryCastle whome there would be no stories without her support and fangirling and kicking my ass when I get stuck on a chapter.
> 
> Im not set on the title yet, It might change. 
> 
> This is a Female!Stiles AU, The fire still happens but everyone manages to get out except for a few human members and children, including Peters wife and unborn child. 
> 
> It will feature a bit of trigger content with Agent McCall having been abusive towards Stiles. I will be adding tags as they are needed. 
> 
>  
> 
> I would also like to add that this property is based off of my farm and my trails. I might even post a few photos here and there :).
> 
> Follow me on Tumblr: Sassysteter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Sorry.” He smiled sheepishly. “You just looked like you were going to throw yourself out of the car any minute.”
> 
> Stiles huffed at her father’s deputy, crossing her arms over her chest. “You would be too if you were stuck on the road for four days with only a few pit stops and stops to sleep. Did I really have to be banished to Canada to be kept safe?”
> 
> Parrish huffed right back at her. “You know we have to hide you to keep you safe. McCall was a federal agent and still has contacts. He’s dangerous, and until we can catch him, we need you somewhere he can’t reach you."
> 
> “And I understand that, but Canada? Seriously? I've never even seen snow before. What if I’m allergic?” Stiles complained, swinging her arms in the air while she gestured.
> 
> Parrish scoffed. “No one is allergic to snow, Stiles.”
> 
> “You don’t know that. I could be the first person ever to be allergic to snow!” she grumbled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Officially Beta'd! Thank you to the super Awesome Bitchinachinashop(Who writes the best Steter fics! Check her out!)
> 
> and as always my beloved Cheerleader FaeryCastle who keeps my ass in gear

The farmhouse appeared in the distance, a relief to Stiles' restless body. She had been cooped up in this car for days now, and although she was exhausted from lack of sleep, her body just wanted out of this vehicle so she could start her new life, and get over the trauma that had been her mistake of a marriage.

If Deputy Parrish didn't hurry and get them to that house, Stiles was going to jump out of the car herself.   She actually did jump and flail when Deputy Parrish’s hand gently landed on hers, her heart in her throat.

“Sorry.” He smiled sheepishly. “You just looked like you were going to throw yourself out of the car any minute.”

Stiles huffed at her father’s deputy, crossing her arms over her chest. “You would be too if you were stuck on the road for four days with only a few pit stops and stops to sleep. Did I really have to be banished to Canada to be kept safe?”

Parrish huffed right back at her. “You know we have to hide you to keep you safe.  McCall was a federal agent and still has contacts. He’s dangerous, and until we can catch him, we need you somewhere he can’t reach you."

“And I understand that, but Canada? Seriously? I've never even seen snow before.  What if I’m allergic?” Stiles complained, swinging her arms in the air while she gestured.

Parrish scoffed. “No one is allergic to snow, Stiles.”

“You don’t know that. I could be the first person ever to be allergic to snow!” she grumbled.

Parrish turned into the long driveway, ignoring her last outburst, knowing when she was arguing just to argue. She’d spent enough time at the station for him to get to know her decently well.  “I’ll be staying for a few days just to help you get settled. Someone from the Hale pack will be keeping guard over you. They own not only this farm, but another one hundred acres connected to it.   Claudine should be meeting us to help with the house and property lines as well as what’s available in the area. She’s Talia’s real estate agent.”

Stiles fell silent, wondering how her life had become this complicated. She was on the run from her psychotic, abusive ex-husband, who also happened to be her best friend’s dad.  With the wolf pack sending her away on some witness-protection program type crap. The same wolf pack who had taken her best friend Scott in after he’d been bitten by a rogue alpha, and by default had adopted her in as pack human.

She knew she had no one else to blame but herself. Well, that wasn't true. She could, and would, blame Rafael McCall for the beatings and the abuse, but inside she blamed herself. If there hadn't been something wrong with her, maybe he wouldn't have taken advantage of her.  Maybe it wouldn't have taken her so long to realize what was happening, and escape.

Her only salvation had been her pack. Scott had accepted her back after she had pushed them all away, Rafael making her think that it had been her choice to do so. And when she came back bruised and bloodied, she had expected nothing but judgment and to be turned away, but she’d been desperate and had nowhere else to go.

She never expected for Scott to forgive her for doing something as horrible as marrying his father. She never expected for him and the rest of the pack to wrap her in their arms, whining at her pain.  She certainly hadn't expected for them to cry with her when she finally broke down and admitted to the shame that had become her life.  When her father welcomed her back with open arms, she had felt hope for the first time in a long, long time.

However, that hope was soon extinguished when Agent McCall went missing after a warrant was put out for his arrest, an arrest that was not just issued because of her abuse, but for multiple charges that Stiles had managed to slowly get proof of. Agent McCall was definitely a bad cop, and he had been bought easily.

That was why the pack, as well as her father, had all agreed that sending Stiles to hide away on one of the pack’s properties on the east coast of Canada was a damn good idea, much to Stiles’ horror.

Whining and barking started in the back seat when they finally stopped the car in front of the farmhouse, which was really a barn that had been converted into a house. A woman walked out of the door, waving at them.

“I bet you guys can’t wait to stretch your legs either, huh?” Stiles smiled at Esme and Henry, her two miniature poodles, who were sitting in the back tethered to the seatbelts. Esme was not named after the character from _Twilight,_ no matter what people thought, much to Stiles’ frustration. It meant ‘loved’ in French.

Stiles got out of the car and opened the back door to unbuckle the dogs and clip a leash onto each of them, while Parrish moved to shake the woman’s hand, who turned out to be Claudine.

When Stiles finally got the dogs out of the car and closed the door, Claudine approached her, hand extended, ignoring the dogs barking at her feet.

“You must be Stiles.  It’s a pleasure to meet you,” she said with a thick French accent.

Stiles nodded, giving her a small smile, trying to be sociable even though she felt far from it. 

“I hope your trip over was good. Let me give you a small tour of the house and the property, then I'll get out of your hair so you can unpack,” she said with a bright smile, like she was actually excited to be showing them the place. Maybe she was just naturally perky, but it baffled Stiles, who wanted to both go for a run and crash after the long drive.

Stiles started with the house, which, surprisingly for a Hale-owned house, wasn't too big. She could handle cleaning the space and living in it.

The main entrance walked into the kitchen, which was a huge open-concept space with hardwood floors. It had up-to-date appliances, including a dishwasher, stove, refrigerator, microwave, a deep freezer, and a large pantry which was stocked full. In the back was office space and a mudroom with a raised tub for grooming her dogs. Apparently the previous owner had been a groomer.  Just outside there was a clothesline and a small empty chicken coop. Upstairs were two small bedrooms and a large living room area. Everything was furnished and perfectly cleaned. She had a niggling feeling that the Hales had made sure the place was newly furnished and stocked with food, just for her arrival.

Stiles was surprisingly really liking the place. She could see herself making a safe haven here, even more so when Claudine showed her the barns and shed. The cow barn was filled with square bales and some old farming equipment, but needed a good cleaning out if it was ever to be used again. The other barn was newer and had a covered riding arena and large box stalls. It had originally been used to give riding lessons. It still had all the fencing and a round pen. The shed right next to the house was just as big as the first floor of the house. That space in particular intrigued her.

Stiles turned to Parrish and asked curiously, “I wonder how expensive it would be to set this up as a dance studio so I could keep practicing?” 

Stiles had been taking dance and gymnastic lessons since she was little, her mother encouraging her to use exercise to help cope with her ADHD. That was the hardest thing about the move; giving up her dance classes, which had become her coping mechanism in her abusive relationship, and one of the lifelines she kept to the memory of her mother.

“Talia advised me that any changes you wish to do to the property can be handled directly through me. I was given access to the Hale funds to do so.  She wants you to be comfortable and safe here,” Claudine answered.

Stiles gaped at Claudine, shocked, and for once unable to come up with anything to say.

“There’s also a local gym that you might be interested in. Talia asked me to look into a few things for you that might help your move be more comfortable.  The gym is called Ferocious. It’s a girls-only gym that offers Zumba, burlesque, aerial, and cardio, as well as pole dancing. The staff is really good; they enter competitions and place every time.  They won provincial and national awards last year for pole.  I’ve left you my business card, as well as a few pamphlets and maps for different things in the area that might interest you, on the kitchen table. If you’re interested in getting the shed converted, just give me a call, and I can get some people in to work on it for you as soon as possible.”

Stiles nodded, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. “Are there any trails around here where I can run?”

Claudia smiled and nodded. “As a matter of fact, you have your own personal trail. Right down the old cow pasture to your left, there’s a trail that starts at the gravel pit and goes through the woods.  There are over one hundred acres owned by the Hales. The trails themselves just circle over themselves back to the main trail, so you can’t get lost, but I do have a map in your package on the kitchen table.”

She turned to Parrish and grinned. “I’m taking the dogs for a run.”

Parrish raised a brow, clearly not impressed. “We just got here.  Shouldn't you be unpacking and heading for bed? Besides, we don’t know if the trails are safe.”

Stiles scoffed. “I need to burn off some energy before I’ll be able to sleep, and so do the dogs. Come on. Claudia says the trails are safe, and I can’t get lost.  I'll grab the map. It’ll be fine!”

Parrish sighed as if he knew he would regret what he was about to say. “You have one hour.  Be back by then, or I’m going out there looking for you.”

Stiles rolled her eyes. “Yes, Dad.”

It only took her a few minutes to change into her running gear. She had a pair of spandex leggings, and a red sports bra with a tank top over it that said ‘ _Training to be Batman_.’  It was one of the many geeky training tanks she owned. Her white and neon orange sneakers finished the outfit, and she was ready to head out.

After a few stretches, she let her dogs loose and slipped her favorite pair of noise-reducing headphones on.  Putting her running playlist on, she set off to explore the trail.

~*~

 Peter half listened to his sister on speakerphone while she went on about a girl who was under pack protection, asking Laura and himself to keep guard over her. He wasn't a babysitter, no matter what his alpha thought. Laura could handle whatever tedious request his alpha sister was demanding.  Besides, in the last few years he had become the one who apparently needed the babysitter, if the string of pack members who rotated their visits among themselves was any indication.

Peter still felt bitter over what his sister called, ‘ _time to cool his heels in order to prevent a war_.’ He called it banishment, especially after ten years.

His idiot of a nephew had gotten involved with a hunter who had used him to get access to the pack house. Thankfully, the majority of the family had managed to escape, but not all of them. His wife and unborn child, and the human pack members, as well as some of the younger pups, had perished in the fire. 

The bitch had gotten away, and Peter was refused his right as her second to exact revenge. The worst of it was that he was still alive. If his wife had been his true mate, he would have died with her, and that enraged him more than anything else. That the fates would be so cruel as to not only take his wife and child away from him, but also deny him the right to die at their side.

Peter kept his features schooled and his exterior calm, knowing that his family thought him unstable and liable to snap at any moment. He wasn't close to doing any such thing. He was filled with silent determination to get his revenge, even if it meant going against his alpha’s orders.

He slowly rose from the chair he had previously occupied, and made his way towards the door, having had enough tedious conversation for one evening.

“Uncle Peter, where are you going?” Laura huffed, cutting Talia off mid-sentence.

“I’m going out for a run to enjoy this glorious day before it ends,” Peter cheerfully bit out, not quite hiding the sarcasm.

“Peter, I wasn't done speaking,” Talia chastised over the phone.

“Yes, dear sister, Laura is more than capable of keeping an eye on this girl, since we both know that you all think me unstable and therefore unsafe to be around said girl. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going out for a run.”

He left, closing the door softly behind him with restraint when what he really wanted to do was slam it so hard it shook the house.

 He shed his clothing at the door, folding it and setting it on the porch swing before letting the change come over him. His body slowly fell forward onto all fours, until a slate grey wolf stood in his place.  He shook his coat out before loping into the forest.

Alpha wolves who could transform into full wolves were rare. Betas were even more so. His sister Talia was respected, and most times almost revered, for the ability.

Peter was a wolf who had been born to be an alpha, but had submitted to his sister and accepted the position of second within the pack.  However, although he now might be a beta, he’d never lost the ability to fully shift into a wolf. He knew this was part of the reason for his exile after the fire. She feared what he was capable of, if he decided to turn on her.

Shifting to full wolf form was now one of the rare true joys left in his life. On many occasions, he had the urge to just leave everything behind, become fully one with his wolf, and live out in the forest, but then Peter remembered that he enjoyed the finer things in life too much to be roughing it out in the woods for the rest of his life.

Since his sister had exiled him, he took utmost delight in spending as much of her money as he could on expensive wine, Egyptian cotton sheets, expensive electronic toys, and anything else that caught his fancy.  He couldn't do that if he was stuck as a wolf.

He let the rush of adrenaline take him over while he pushed his body into a hard run, allowing his mind to clear and his wolf to take over. It howled in triumph, taking in its surroundings and the scents and sounds around it.  It reveled in the exertion, flushing rabbits out of their dens, taking chase after a deer while nipping at its heels, but not taking it down. His wolf was feeling restless and playful, not hungry. 

After letting the deer get away, he loped down to the stream, dipping his muzzle into the cool refreshing water for a drink. One of the positive things about the move to Canada was that the water here was as of yet unpolluted and delicious. Who needed bottled water when you could drink out of a pure fresh stream?

Barking in the distance set him on alert, his hackles rising. He heard the slap of running feet and throbbing base-line music — someone was in his territory, and not being silent about it. He didn't have to worry about it being hunters with that noise, but anyone unknown in his territory left him unsettled.

With a low growl he set off to see who was making all that noise in his forest. Remaining hidden by the foliage and downwind, so the dogs wouldn't catch his scent, he slowly made his way toward the very loud runner. When he finally caught her scent over the dogs, it took everything he had to rein in his wolf as it surged forward in triumph, wanting to howl in pure joy.

Peter’s eyes widened in horror while he struggled to hold his body in place, panting and whining while his wolf fought for supremacy.  Every fiber of his being screamed, “Mine! Mate!”

His eyes fell on her when she came into view on the trail.  Her long coltish legs were the first thing he noticed, followed by her small waist and the pert breasts covered by her Batman tank top and sports bra. His eyes then fell on her mouth, and his own opened in a silent snarl of frustration. She had a mouth made for fucking. Plump red lips that she worried with her teeth even as she ran, leaving them swollen.  The moles and freckles on her face and body begged to be traced with his tongue. Her hair was buzzed short as if in defiance, and that puzzled and entranced him. What would it take for him to convince her to grow her hair back so he could wrap his fingers in the locks and pull her head back to bare her neck?

He forced himself backward and away from the woman — no, his mate — forcefully, the violence of his reaction to her shaking him to the core. Since his wife had died, Peter had gone to the city and bars a few times to sate his needs; after all he was a man and a wolf, but nothing prepared him for the violence of his need for his mate.

Pushing himself into a run toward the cabin, he finally let the small niggling detail he had been ignoring, due to the shock of finding his mate, come to the surface.

Why did his mate smell like pack?


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The phone chirped almost instantly and Stiles' mouth fell open, a small hum of arousal crawling up her spine at his reply before she tamped it back down.
> 
> “I only respond to two things, Sir and Peter.”
> 
> “Are you texting Uncle Peter?” Laura asked in shock before Stiles shoved the phone inside her pocket.
> 
> “I was just sassing him over not having the courage to come over and introduce himself,” Stiles answered, continuing to rummage through her supplies. Once her nerves settled and she had her list ready, she took her phone out and sent out another text.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Officially Beta'd! Thank you to the super Awesome Bitchinachinashop(Who writes the best Steter fics! Check her out!)
> 
> and as always my beloved Cheerleader FaeryCastle who keeps my ass in gear
> 
> For the pole dancing moves. I'm having trouble finding the exact poses that I had modeled the movements described on. 
> 
> The girl that Stiles sees doing pole dancing is doing a move like one of these two pretty much  
> http://poledancedictionary.com/moves/311/allegra/  
> http://poledancedictionary.com/moves/349/cocoon/
> 
> This one would be Stiles move  
> http://poledancedictionary.com/moves/321/stag/

Stiles started cooling down when she arrived at the house, the thrum of the heavy bass melding with the vibrations in her own body. The run had calmed them, but her ADHD always kept her in a constant state of movement and activity. To Stiles, her body was a mirror of her mind. If her mind wasn’t calm, her body wasn’t either, and her ADHD made it so that it was extremely hard to calm her mind. Her mother had enrolled her in dance classes at a young age to help her cope. Exercise helped her focus and calm herself, though even with the constant exercises, Stiles would always be a hyperactive motor-mouth and a klutz.

The run had been great for her. The stress from driving for days, not knowing if they were being followed, and trying to come to grips with her life turning into a shit-storm, had left her on edge and irritable.

As soon as her feet had started pounding the dirt trail, her mind had calmed, and for the first time in days she had felt free. The forest was somehow soothing and familiar to her, but there was a memory skirting at the edge of her mind that she wasn’t quite able to recollect.

She put herself through a few deep stretches, her mind wandering, while the dogs plopped themselves next to her, panting contently.

Parrish opened the front door, popping his head out to stare at her with his Bambi eyes. “Have a good run?”

Stiles lifted herself back up, finished with her stretches, and beamed at Parrish. “Yes, just what I needed, thanks.”

He nodded, smiling at her before jerking his head towards the entrance to the kitchen. “I’ve got supper cooking. It’ll be ready in about twenty minutes, if you want to wash up.”

Stiles gave a relieved sigh and nodded, heading past Parrish into the house and up the stairs. “I’ll head up and take a quick shower and be right down.”

Exhaustion finally caught up to her when she hopped into the warm spray. She quickly washed the sweat off of her body, drying off afterwards and throwing on a pair of sweats and a tank from her overnight bag. She headed down just in time for supper to be served.

The meal was simple but delicious; Parrish was a really good cook. The steak was done perfectly, the potatoes fluffy, and the salad dressing was tart and refreshing. The meal passed in silence, both of them exhausted and wanting nothing more than to sleep.

Parrish got up slowly, picking up both of their plates and rinsing them before putting them in the dishwasher. “I’m heading to bed. If you need me just knock, okay?”

Stiles yawned tiredly, rubbing at her eyes while she nodded. “I will. I’ll be heading to bed too. It’s been a long four days.”

They both said their good nights, before Stiles headed upstairs, dogs in tow. She threw herself onto the bed, wrapped her arms around her pillow, and almost immediately fell asleep.

~*~

_Fog crawled across her bare feet while she ran through the woods, tears streaking her cheeks, her breathing loud in the silence of the fog. Her mother’s red cloak was billowing behind her in her haste to get away from the monster she knew was at her heels._

 

“ _STILES!” The familiar voice bellowed behind her. “You can’t run forever. Just give in and come take your punishment.”_

 

_No, she wouldn’t. She was never going to give in to Rafael again, even if he killed her. She would keep running until she couldn’t anymore. She refused to submit to this monster who had tried to break her spirit._

 

_A wolf howled in the distance, a sound of triumph, and a sense of relief flooded through Stiles. She knew that howl. It was her wolf. The one who had come to her in her dreams since she was a child. It was a sound she hadn’t heard since she’d given in to Rafael and fallen into their twisted relationship._

_For the first time since her nightmares had overtaken her, hope swelled inside her. She ran toward the sound of the howl, wanting desperately to lay her eyes on the wolf that had become so much a part of her life._

_The trail pulsed around her, the trees warping in time with the pounding footsteps behind her. The fog thickened, trying to cover the trail._

 

_Stiles choked down the hysteria that was bubbling forward. She knew this trail; she had been running it in her dreams since she was five years old. With determination she kept on going, knowing the field was just around the bend, knowing her wolf would be there waiting for her._

 

“ _You can’t run from me, Stiles, I will always find you. You’re mine and always will be. I’ll never let you go.” The voice echoed through the woods, dark and amused._

 

_Rage gave her an extra boost of speed, and after she ran around the bend, she saw the trail open up. Blue glimmering eyes, a beacon through the fog, were staring at her as she ran the final distance out of the trail._

 

_Her feet froze when she burst out into the clearing, her eyes falling onto her wolf for the first time in two years. He was breathtaking with his shaggy thick coat, a silvery gray with darker charcoal bands and a sweeping tail. A regal look of arrogance and pride was on his face, and he looked at her with those piercing blue eyes, causing a sense of warmth and safety to surround her._

 

_Stiles turned around sharply when she heard the voice hiding in the shadows._

 

“ _You think that mutt can save you, Stiles? You belong to me, don’t you forget that. Remember the vows you made to obey me?”_

 

 _She shook her head,_   _taking a step back toward the wolf. He stepped forward to stand by her side, a deep growl rumbling from within him before he flashed his teeth in a snarl._

 

 _The shadows and fog crawled ever closer,_   _trying to surround and swirl around them to form clawed hands, and her wolf took another step forward, his hackles rising before his lips curled and his body rocked forward, letting out a inhumanly loud roar. The sound pulsed through the clearing like a mushroom cloud from an atomic bomb, decimating the fog and shadows, the wind carrying them off like dust._

 

 _Stiles stood in shocked silence for a moment_   _as the sun slowly crept out from under the blanket of clouds. The birds slowly started their natural chorus, and Stiles’ legs finally gave out under her._

 _Concerned blue eyes peered at her,_   _and she wrapped her arms around the wolf’s neck, gently weeping with relief. Both because Rafael was gone and because her wolf was finally once again in her arms, even if it was just in her dreams._

 

“ _I missed you so much,” she whispered, her hands clutching at his fur tightly when she felt a tongue swipe at the side of her face in comfort._

 

_They stayed like this, the wolf giving comfort and her taking it, the calm of the woods enveloping both of them like a blanket, and for the first night in months she slept peacefully, protected by her guardian wolf._

~*~

Light knocking at the front door stirred Stiles from her slumber, and she grumbled lightly to herself before getting up. A sleepy grunt and huff escaped her lips while she made her way downstairs. She saw the top of a female's brunette head through the window.

Opening the door, she rubbed at her eyes sleepily before blinking up at the familiar woman staring back at her with a large grin and two cups of coffee. Her sleep-addled brain took a moment to register who the woman was. When it finally clicked, she let out a loud squeal before throwing herself into the werewolf's arms. “Laura, what are you doing here?

She heard a door slam against the wall and the sound of footsteps down the stairs before Laura’s eyes widened in front of her, and she murmured with appreciation, “Who’s Bambi Eyes?  Have you been all up on that? If so, congratulations!”

Stiles turned to look at Parrish, who had run down the stairs at the scream in nothing but a pair of tight black boxer briefs and his service revolver. How he’d managed to get that across the border, she had no idea.

Although she could appreciate that Deputy Parrish was a gorgeous man, her father’s deputies were like family to her, and Parrish was no different. “Laura, meet Kyle Parrish, he’s one of my father’s deputies. Parrish, meet Laura Hale, Talia Hale’s daughter. Please put your revolver away and go put some clothes on.”

“Oh please, you don’t have to put on any clothes on my account. In fact you could take the boxer briefs off if you want,” Laura said, grinning lasciviously.

Stiles rolled her eyes, used to Laura's antics, and gave Parrish a shooing gesture, which he heeded, a confused look marring his face while he made his way back up to his bedroom to change.

Stiles made grabby hands at the coffee when Parrish disappeared, and Laura laughingly gave it up, knowing never to get between Stiles and her coffee. She groaned, then started to make happy humming noises, sipping at her coffee for a while before finally looking back at Laura, eyebrow raised. “You still haven’t told me what you’re doing here.”

Laura huffed, amused. “You remember all those times you kept asking us where we disappeared to for months on end? Well, this is it.”

Stiles looked confused for a moment before realization hit her. “This is where your Uncle Peter lives. Can I finally meet the elusive pack member I’ve heard so much about?”

Laura sighed lightly. “I tried to convince him to come over, but he’s being his regular stubborn self and decided to lock himself in the cabin and be anti-social.”

It was Stiles’ turn to huff, her hands falling to her hips in an irritated stance. “Well that won’t do. Everyone in the pack likes me. I won’t let him be the only one who doesn’t. What about a peace offering? Does he like sweets?”

Laura leaned into Stiles’ space and breathed her in before grinning and nuzzling her neck since she was close enough anyway. Stiles tilted her head to bare her neck, used to the pack’s need to scent their lone human member. “Peter tries to play it cool and pretend he doesn’t do sweets, but he has the biggest sweet tooth out of all of us, even bigger than Derek’s.”

Stiles’ eyes widened at this. Derek had the biggest sweet tooth she had ever seen. She’d once baked three dozen chocolate chip cookies for a pack meet, and put them in a lock box to keep everyone out of them. Derek had managed to break her lock box and eat the whole three dozen before she found him guilty as charged in the kitchen, chocolate smearing his face and fingers.

She had banned him from eating any of her sweets for a month. Derek had never attempted a stunt like that again. “Does he have any particular favorites?”

Laura laughed lightly. “It’s a little ironic, but he has a particular attachment to anything pumpkin.”

She blinked at Laura in surprise. The whole pack had always teased her about her choice of fragrance. She made her own sugar scrub that was scented with pumpkin spice. The pack had often asked her for the recipe, but she guarded it fiercely. It was her signature scent and she never wanted to share it, unlike everything else she typically had no problems sharing. “Well your mom made sure I was well stocked, so we can take inventory and see if we have everything we need. If not we can make a run to the store to pick up the rest. Maybe some of my pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese icing will endear him to me.”

Laura groaned. “Only if you make a double batch so I can have some too. You know they’re my favorite.”

“You have a deal. Can we stop at Ferocious while we’re out? I’d like to check it out and see if they’re a good fit for me.” Stiles started to rummage through the pantry, taking stock of what was available and what would need to be bought at the store.

“Oh, I spend quite a lot of time there, you’ll love it. The owner is a good friend of mine. I think you’ll get along great.”

“Are you two going somewhere?” Parrish asked, walking in. He was freshly dressed, giving Laura a wide berth as if she were going to try to eat him alive. He might yet survive.

“Here, this is for you.” Parrish passed Stiles a cell phone and a folder, which contained a birth certificate, social insurance number, driver’s license, and Medicare card, as well as a fresh prescription for her Adderall. The name on all of the documents was Stella Stamford.

Stiles grimaced at the name, but it could be worse. The name at least made sense with her nickname, and she could drive and still get her medication.

“You can use one of our spare cars as well. Each of us has a car in the garage at the cabin. Uncle Peter has a small collection of his own.”

Walking over, Laura grabbed the cellphone from Stiles' hand and programmed her number into it, sending herself a text.

“Can you program Peter’s number in there as well, in case I can’t reach you?” Stiles asked.

Laura nodded before programming the second number silently, then gave Stiles back the cellphone.

Stiles stared at the phone in her hand for a moment before a wave of mischievousness hit her. She brought up Peter’s number and sent him a text.

“ _Hello infamous Uncle Peter. Since you deigned not to grace me with your presence, Laura has been so kind as to give me your number. I'm Stiles, nice to meet you.”_

She waited with baited breath, staring at the screen before the phone chirped and vibrated and she stared at the reply.

“ _I would rather you not call me uncle since you are not my sister’s daughter.”_

A grin lit her face before she replied playfully back.

“ _Hmm you’re right. It makes it sound like I’m into some kind of daddy kink. What do you want me to call you?”_

 

The phone chirped almost instantly and Stiles' mouth fell open, a small hum of arousal crawling up her spine at his reply before she tamped it back down _._

 

“ _I only respond to two things, Sir and Peter.”_

“Are you texting Uncle Peter?” Laura asked in shock before Stiles shoved the phone inside her pocket.

“I was just sassing him over not having the courage to come over and introduce himself,” Stiles answered, continuing to rummage through her supplies. Once her nerves settled and she had her list ready, she took her phone out and sent out another text.

“ _Well, SIR, I shall be sending you a sweet peace offering. Maybe one day you shall grace me with your presence for more homemade goodness.”_

“I should warn you in advance that Uncle Peter is the sassiest person I know, and that’s including you! Some days I think you both deserve each other, and others I think it’s best that you never meet,” Laura joked with a smirk.

“And yet we’ve never met, so I think I know where you’re leaning. You’re right though, he is sassy, but I think I can handle him.” Stiles smirked back, earning a laugh from Laura.

“If anyone stands a chance, it would definitely be you. Now come on, let’s get this list written down so we can get this show on the road.”

In no time they had their list ready and were in the car and on their way to the local grocery store to pick up the small list of items. She also had a few extra things she wanted to pick up, mainly fresh items. There were so many non-perishable food items and so much meat that she didn’t think she would need to buy anything but fresh foods for a few months.

The locals were ridiculously friendly, smiling and greeting Laura by name, holding doors open for them when they walked in. Stiles was introduced to a few people as Laura’s foster sister, which to Laura was most likely the easiest way to explain a non-family pack member to non-werewolves.

They were quick to get their shopping done, and in no time they were parked in front of a two-story building with a large sign on the front stating:  _ **Ferocious: Never mess with a woman wearing spiked heels.**_

The outside was covered with deep red siding with large windows looking into what was obviously the first story pole dancing room. The room also had mirrors against the wall and multiple rows of poles. The top story had windows as well, but the blinds were shut, most likely due to classes being held.

The sight of a lone dancer at the pole held Stiles transfixed. The dancer was upside down on the pole, holding on with one calf. Her other leg was extended, her whole torso reaching down, one hand against her extended leg like an extreme yoga pose. She held the pose, then descended as if losing her grip, stopping inches from the ground. Both of her hands extended and landed flat against the surface of the floor. She released her leg from the pole and her body curved away from it. Spiked heels landed flat against the floor and she pushed her body upwards to a standing position, before sashaying to the second pole.

Stiles pointed at the woman pole dancing, eyes connecting with Laura. “That. I need to do that!”

Laura grinned at her, grabbing her gym bag before stepping out of the vehicle, leaving Stiles to grab her own and follow her through the entrance.

The entryway was warm and welcoming, painted a sunny yellow, and filled with a few large photos of what seemed to be staff in different poses. Some showed the staff pole dancing, others wrapped in ribbons suspended in the air; one was draped across a hoop.

The woman behind the sleek streamlined desk squealed at the sight of Laura and quickly made her way towards them, flinging herself into Laura's arms.

It gave Stiles a chance to take a look at the woman, who was rather breathtaking. She had a thick mane of blonde curls, and her makeup was put on dramatically. Her eyes were lined and her eyelashes thick. Her lips were lusciously plump and glistening with red lipstick. She was dressed in typical yoga attire, which fit her like a second skin, and she had an ample chest that was practically spilling out of her tight black sports bra. The only thing out of the ordinary for yoga would be the pair of stilettos she was wearing.

Stiles might have been a little jealous of the heels. She loved heels, but had always thought that they didn’t fit her look. Heels were for sexy, desirable women, and Stiles was none of that. She had learned to walk in them back in high school when she had convinced Scott to take ballroom dance lessons with her; one of the many styles of dance she had explored trying to find herself. Rafael had refused to let her wear heels due to her height. If she wore heels, she would be exactly his height and be able to look him in the eye. He wouldn’t have that. Something clicked in her mind and Stiles nodded to herself in determination. She wanted to wear heels and feel like a sexy woman. She wanted to rebel. She wanted to learn to pole dance.

“Laura, I missed you!” The blonde dramatically flopped herself all over Laura, whining.

Laura laughed rubbing her cheek against Erica's, scent marking. “I’ve only been gone a week. What are you going to do when I have to go back home for a few months?”

“Maybe I’ll follow you back,” Erica joked. “Derek isn’t nearly as much fun as you. He’s always scowling and growling.”

“And leave Boyd and Isaac here alone? You wouldn’t make it a day away from them,” Laura teased. “Now I have someone I want you to meet. Erica, this is Stiles. Stiles, this is Erica. Erica is also a member of the pack, along with Boyd and Isaac. Stiles is also the reason I booked a private session. I wanted to give her a chance to check out the gym and see what might interest her, though I think she might have already decided that by herself, watching Jeanine doing pole.”

Before Stiles knew what happened, she had Erica in her arms, squealing, face nuzzling her neck while she gushed. “It’s so nice to finally meet you, Stiles! I’ve heard so much about you. God, you smell so nice, like pack and home and pumpkin spice. You were right Laura, she smells amazing.”

Stiles huffed and couldn’t help but laugh before she hugged Erica back, nuzzling a scent mark back. She couldn’t help it. Stiles was teasingly called pack mom for a reason, and Erica was acting like a pup, which made Stiles want to cuddle her.

They quickly got dragged into a tour. Stiles had been right about the rooms upstairs. One had a yoga class in session, which made Stiles itch to join in. She did yoga daily, but hadn’t attended an actual class in around two months. The second largest class was a Zumba class, which also looked upbeat and fun. There were multiple small exercise rooms for private lessons. Everything had soft, feminine, calming colors, each room a different color scheme. They finally ended up in the pole room, a pair of heels thrust into her hands by Laura.

Stiles first watched Erica and Laura doing some more advanced moves and choreography before joining in herself for some beginner moves. She wanted to get to the more advanced moves, but from her gymnastics and yoga experience, she knew firsthand that you had to have good foundational knowledge before you attempted more advanced moves.

Erica had soothed her by saying that with her fitness level, flexibility, yoga and gymnastics experience, it shouldn’t be long at all before she was going vertical on the pole.

They did however appease Stiles by teaching her a slightly harder move that had her suspended on the pole, one leg holding her onto the pole, the other leg pointed outwards while her torso stretched forward, arms extended into what looked like a mix between a yoga pose and a ballerina move. Her leg burned from the exertion, but Stiles felt elated and grinned back at Laura when she took a picture of her very first pole move with Stiles' cell phone.

By the end of the class, Stiles once again had Erica in her arms in another hug, while Erica demanded that she come back for beginner classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and to come to any other classes she was interested in, thrusting a schedule into her hands. Stiles promised Erica that she would be seeing a lot of her.

Appeased, Erica finally let her go with a final nuzzling scent mark.

When they finally made it to the car, Stiles took her phone out, bringing up the photo of her first pole pose and couldn’t help her smile. She was so excited about having something new to learn, and really wished she could send the photo to Scott or her dad, or even Derek, but she wasn’t allowed to contact any of them.

After a moment she grinned to herself and decided to send the photo to Peter. 

“ _Laura dragged me to pole dancing lessons at Ferocious. I also met Erica while I was there. What do you think? Not too bad for my first class.”_

Stiles waited with bated breath, wondering if he was going to answer her seriously, or if he would snark at her sending him a photo of herself, let alone one of her pole dancing.

“ _Very well done Stiles. Laura often goes on about how challenging pole dancing class can be. I’m not surprised the girl who runs with wolves would be so talented.”_

Peter’s praise washed over her, filling Stiles with a soft glow of happiness, and she had no idea why. Even through the texts, the man amused her. She would get him to like her if it was the last thing she did.

“Are you texting Uncle Peter again?” Laura asked, both surprised and amused.

Stiles huffed. “Who else am I going to text? I can’t text Scott or Dad, so I figured I’d storm his defenses and try to get him to warm up to me.”

Laura grinned. “If anyone is stubborn enough to storm his defenses, it’s you.”

Stiles gave Laura a particularly wolfish grin. “Exactly. Now let’s go home. I have some cupcakes to make.”

Laura nodded before she started the car, and they set off to Stiles' new home.

~*~

Peter felt unsettled, and that wasn’t a feeling he particularly enjoyed. His wolf was restless and angry, wanting to snap at anything in sight, roaring and demanding its mate.

When Laura had asked him to come with her to visit Stiles, he had snapped at her that he wasn’t interested in meeting the pack human, and had stomped back to his room, slamming the door.

It hadn’t taken him long to realize that Stiles was the woman he had seen running in the woods, and that the pack human sent here for protection was his mate.

It was another reason he needed to stay away from her. She had been sent here to get away from an abusive ex-husband. She already had a hard life, she didn’t need a damaged, unstable mate like him. One who would need things from her he knew she wouldn’t be able to handle.

Peter didn’t do vanilla sex. Soft and gentle wouldn’t appease him. It would leave him restless and unfulfilled. He had tried that before in other relationships. He required more from his partners. Rough sex and bondage, and so much more: complete submission in the bedroom. From everything he had heard about the girl, she was too good and pure to be able to handle the things that he would want from her. Peter wanted what was best for his mate, and therefore refused to claim her.

Of course it was just as he came to this decision that he received the first text.

“ _Hello infamous Uncle Peter. Since you deigned not to grace me with your presence, Laura has been so kind as to give me your number. I'm Stiles. Nice to meet you.”_

Peter blinked at the text for a moment, his wolf preening that his mate had contacted them, his human side cringing at the word “uncle” sent from his mate. Before he could stop himself, he texted her back a snarky reply, hoping it might deter her.

“ _I would rather you not call me uncle, since you are not my sister’s daughter.”_

He waited with bated breath for her response, chiding himself for behaving like a schoolboy with his first crush. When his phone vibrated and he read her response, his eyebrows practically disappeared into his hairline in surprise.

“ _Hmm, you’re right. It makes it sound like I’m into some kind of daddy kink. What do you want me to call you?”_

He felt his body harden at the words and frowned at himself before immediately responding, wondering if that would scare her off.

“ _I only respond to two things, Sir and Peter.”_

The message that followed had a pleased smile creeping across his face, which made him thankful his niece wasn’t there to call him out on it.

“ _Well SIR, I shall be sending you a sweet peace offering. Maybe one day you shall grace me with your presence for more homemade goodness.”_

His mate was going to cook for him. His wolf preened at the idea that his mate wanted to provide for them, and he wanted to head into the woods to hunt some game to offer her, proof that he would also be able to provide for his mate.

Peter sighed lightly, frustrated with his own inner war. He got up and started to do some chores, ignoring the last text.

It was only later when Peter was finished cleaning the kitchen and had finally seated himself with a bowl of cereal that his phone vibrated once more.

“ _Laura dragged me to pole dancing lessons at Ferocious. I also met Erica while I was there. What do you think? Not too bad for my first class.”_

He nearly choked on his spoonful of corn puffs when he opened the photo she'd sent him.

Stiles had a look of triumph and happiness on her face while she was suspended on the pole, one leg holding her whole body up, her body artfully curved. The other leg was extended, her torso stretched with her arms reaching in the opposite direction. It looked almost like a ballerina pose, if not for the pole she was holding onto.

His mate was breathtaking. He well remembered Laura gushing about her pole dancing classes and how challenging they were even for a werewolf. His mate was only human, and she had managed something like this on her first class. He wanted to praise her. Yes, he had decided he would never claim his mate, but that didn’t stop him from wanting to please her, so he sent her a reply.

“ _Very well done, Stiles. Laura often goes on about how challenging pole dancing class can be. I’m not surprised the girl who runs with wolves would be so talented.”_

He waited, but no reply came, so he finally busied himself washing his cereal bowl and then moved to the library to sit down at his laptop to aimlessly browse the internet. It was an hour later when his phone vibrated again.

He quickly looked at it and almost ignored it once he saw it was from Laura, but decided against it. He was rewarded with a photo of Stiles in a frilly apron with her nose covered in flour, looking adorable.

“ _I see Stiles has been texting you, so I thought you might want to put a face to the name. ;)”_

Peter huffed and didn’t even bother texting her back, knowing she would know immediately that something was going on if he rose to her baiting. She was her mother’s daughter through and through, sharp and calculating.

When Laura finally arrived home an hour and a half later, he could smell his mate on her, as well as the freshly baked cupcakes in a Tupperware container in Laura’s arms. It took everything he had to act nonchalant when all he wanted to do was rush her and stick his head into the crook of her neck and inhale his mate's scent, or grab the Tupperware container that held his peace offering.

“I come bearing gifts!” Laura crowed while she walked in. “Stiles made her specialty, pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, for you.”

Peter stared at the Tupperware container, trying not to grab it from her hands roughly. His hesitation made him seem unwilling to accept the offering.

“If you don’t want them, I’ll eat them,” Laura teased.

Peter’s wolf surfaced violently before he could take back control, grabbing the Tupperware container and snarling, “Mine!”

Laura’s eyes widened in surprise and she raised her hands up in surrender. She leaned her head to the side, baring her neck in submission, trying to appease Peter’s wolf. “They’re all yours, Peter. Your peace offering from Stiles.”

He managed to regain control and nodded to Laura before turning his back to her to stealthily open the container and stuff one of the cupcakes into his mouth. He bit back a groan at the delicious moist pumpkin spice flavor that burst into his mouth, the cream cheese frosting blending with the cupcake flavor, making it out of this world.

Laura sniggered at his back, obviously hearing him. “Stiles makes the best cupcakes ever, and she is an amazing cook. You really should come over for dinner sometime.”

Peter was so done for, his mate would be the death of him. He groaned internally before stuffing another cupcake into his mouth and sighing at the flavor.

 

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A sleep-filled voice answered on the second ring, the voice calming her slightly. “Stiles? Are you okay? What’s wrong?”
> 
> Stiles gasped for breath, trying to form words. Her heart was beating out of her chest, which was so tight she couldn’t breathe.
> 
> “Stiles, I can hear you breathing and your heart racing. Talk to me.” His voice was stronger this time, sleep pushed away to make room for concern.
> 
> She finally managed to croak out, “Panic attack,” whimpering at the burning pain in her chest.
> 
> “Alright Stiles, you need to breathe. Listen to my breaths, okay? Breathe in, now out, now again. Good, just keep breathing. Everything is fine, you’re okay, everything is okay. Good, now breathe again, in, now out. “

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Officially Beta'd! Thank you to the super Awesome Bitchinachinashop(Who writes the best Steter fics! Check her out!)
> 
> and as always my beloved Cheerleader FaeryCastle who keeps my ass in gear

Peter was going mad.  After the fire, his pack thought him unstable and likely to snap and he had let them think that was the truth, even though it had been far from it.  He’d been seething and dead calm inside, ready to exact his revenge, and he was still biding his time even after ten years. Yet the fire had nothing to do with why he was slowly going mad.

It had been a month since his mate had arrived into his life with her homemade sweets and teasing text messages and multiple selfies, which he refused to reciprocate, no matter how much she cajoled for one.  The pole dance poses she kept sending him were getting more and more advanced, her flexibility driving him insane.  He followed her during her daily runs, making sure she was safe, inhaling her alluring scent that tested his control, when all he wanted to do was claim what was his, knowing he never could.

Yes, Peter was going mad. He had reverted back to a fucking teenager, with a walking hard-on that no amount of cold showers, running, and masturbation could abate.  Getting to know his mate, seeing how sweet, gentle, and caring she was, had him dreaming of her holding their child in his arms. Laura telling him about how Stiles was pack mother back home and always fussing on the cubs didn’t help. The last straw had been Laura showing him a photo of Stiles holding one of the gym members’ newborn daughter who’d been brought in for a visit, with the most gentle smile on her lips while she looked down at the babe.

Getting to know her had also cemented the knowledge that he could never claim her.  Someone so good and pure could never withstand the demands that he would make of her. It would break her, tarnish her, and he couldn’t take seeing that happen.  Laura refused to tell him everything, but he knew that her good-for-nothing ex-husband was as good as dead if he showed up anywhere near his mate.  He knew that when she had finally gotten away from her ex she’d been beaten and bloodied, and that it wasn’t the first beating she’d received. He also knew that Stiles wasn’t talking about it. Not even to Laura, who was one of her best friends, next to Scott—whom Stiles mentioned often, to the point that Peter had to keep telling himself he was not jealous of his mate’s best friend. She’d told the details to Talia because she needed legal representation, and to her father and deputy, but no one would let any more details slip.

The idea that he was out there, just waiting to hurt Peter’s mate, sent rage coursing through his veins.  It was also the reason he was out in the woods, once again running to cool his temper. He was deep in thought and so distracted with everything swimming in his mind that it wasn’t until he froze in shock, staring at the object of his frustrations, that he realized that he’d been so distracted he never heard her coming.

She stood in front of him once again in her regular workout clothing, molded to her like a second skin, one of her witty workout tanks over her sports bra. This one was a green Hulk shirt saying “Hulk out,” with the hulk lifting weights.  Her eyes were wide and her mouth parted slightly as she slowly lowered her headphones.

He expected her to run at the sight of his wolf form, expected fear to cross her features, but all he saw was awe as she stood there in silence.

They both stood rooted to the ground for what seemed like an eternity before Stiles gently dropped to her knees, bringing them to eye level, and finally spoke, her tone reverent. “It’s you, isn’t it? My grey wolf, you’re finally here. I’ve dreamt about you since I was little. Mom was the only one who ever believed you were real.”  She laughed lightly. “Mind you, I don’t know if she ever knew about werewolves or just thought the wolf was a spiritual representation of you.”

Confusion rooted Peter in place as she nervously chattered.

“Are you part of the Hale pack? I can’t imagine Peter or Laura being very happy with you being on their territory if you aren’t.”

Peter hesitated slightly before nodding his lupine head.  Finally he huffed at himself and sat down.

Stiles couldn’t help a giggle. “You look just as regal and haughty when you do that in real life as you do in my dreams. Can you shift back? I’d love to see what you look like as a man.”

Peter’s hackles rose slightly as he jumped to his feet, backing slowly away from her and shaking his head violently.

She raised her palms up flat in a sign of surrender. “It’s okay you, don’t have to if you’re not comfortable.”

She slowly lowered herself to the grass next to the trail, trying to make herself as small and harmless as she could, wanting to calm him.

He moved slowly to his mate, unable to resist getting closer to her.  His wolf was soothed by her presence.

Her caramel-colored eyes connected with his and he heard her heartbeat speed up in trepidation before she opened her mouth to speak. “Can I ask you a question?”

He nodded once again, wondering what had her so nervous.

“Am I your mate? Is that why I’ve been dreaming about you?” Her eyes stayed on his, desperate for an answer.

He desperately wanted to run away, shake his head and refuse the bond that he could feel pulling him towards her, but her eyes kept him enthralled, refused to let him lie to his mate. He slowly nodded his head.

She slowly moved towards him on her knees, sitting next to him, her side touching his. She waited a heartbeat before moving her arms gently to wrap them around him, her head tucking into his thick coat. His body jolted in shock as he felt her open the mating bond, her emotions bombarding him: a sense of awe and wonder and happiness, tinged with an underlayer of sadness and fear that he knew wasn’t due to his presence.

 Human mates rarely felt the mating bonds like werewolves did. They would be attracted to their mates, would feel the connection there, but it was extremely rare for them to be able to form the connection to share emotions with their mate.  It took everything Peter had not to open up and let her in, to enjoy even this small part of being mated. But he knew if he allowed her in, he wouldn’t be able to let her go.

“When Scott started to court Allison, I asked Talia a lot of questions about werewolf mates and especially human mates. She mentioned that on rare occasions mates can dream about each other before they ever truly meet.  I wanted to believe you were real so bad. But after a while I gave up. I feel so stupid. To think you were part of my pack all along and we never met.” She sighed sadly and Peter nudged her with his muzzle, not liking to see his mate sad.

She smiled gently at him. “It’s okay. You’re here now, that’s all that matters. Now we can get to know each other.”

So they sat there in the forest, the dogs playing around them as she stroked his fur and talked about her dreams of him, of her mother’s reactions to her dreams, smiling and telling her that her wolf would protect her.  How she became obsessed with Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf as a child and how she borrowed her mother’s red cloak quite often to play make-believe with her best friend Scott. How she would dress up as Little Red every Halloween, and the pack had even taken to nicknaming her that due to her love for red hoodies. She had never even told the pack about her dreams.

She also told him about the days when she finally had to stop talking about the wolf, her make-believe friend, due to Jackson and his friends making fun of her in the schoolyard. How she had cried in her mother’s arms afterwards, telling her how it felt that she was admitting defeat to pretend he didn’t exist. Her mother had told her to keep her wolf close to her heart and not to let them win. Not talking about her wolf wouldn’t make him any less real.

He felt her sadness as she talked about her mother’s death and how his presence in her dreams had helped her cope. How even Scott or her dad couldn’t get her out of the house until she had a dream of him dragging her out to play one night.

A few hours went by while she sat there with his head in her lap, gently stroking his head, before she finally sighed sadly.  “I wonder if I had met you earlier if I would have been able to avoid marrying Rafael.”

Peter growled at the mention of his name, and Stiles tugged at one of his ears teasingly.  “You can’t blame me for marrying someone when I hadn’t even met you yet.”

Her smile slipped from her lips and he felt the guilt and sadness envelop her once more.  He licked at the hand resting next to him and nudged it, trying to distract her from whatever deep thoughts were troubling her.

“I let him do some horrible things to be. I’m ashamed of some of the things I willingly let him do to me to try to prove my devotion to him. Once you know the truth, you might never want to even think of claiming me as your mate. I’m broken goods, and I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to be put back together again. Some of the things that I want and need in a mate, I don’t ever expect you to be okay with.” She sighed, her hand caressing his neck.

He nudged her hand once again, swiping it with his tongue, and she smiled down indulgently at him before looking up at the horizon. “The sun is setting. I better get back before nightfall. “

Peter got up and whined lightly at the loss of the mating bond. He could only feel her by touch until the mating was fully consummated.

He watched Stiles dust herself off before turning to him. “Will I see you again? Maybe we could run together. I miss running with the pack.”

Peter nodded his lupine head at her and let out a bark before running forward a bit, trying to visually communicate that he would run with her to the end of the trail.

“Oh, you’re going to be my knight in shining armor, are you? How very gallant of you.” She laughed before starting after him.

For the first time in months his wolf felt calm and content to have his mate by his side, and Peter reluctantly agreed that he felt the same; however, that still didn’t mean he would claim her.

His wolf was thrilled to run with his mate. She would never be able to keep up with his normal pace but he was content to keep to hers, snorting at the dogs’ antics as they ran all over the place chasing themselves and barking with glee, making Stiles laugh and smile, only calling them back when they ran too far off.

Peter hadn’t run with pack or let any of them touch him in years, and he never really realized how much he had missed physical touch and proper pack interaction until his mate laid there with his head in her lap, stroking him gently.

Werewolves were very tactile creatures. They needed physical touch from their packmates to keep them grounded and calm. Alphas talked often about how the numbers in a pack made them more powerful, and it did, but it also helped to keep the pack more stable. It was why an omega was such a dangerous thing, and why the pack was often worried that he might eventually snap. A wolf that refused pack touch obviously had something wrong with him.

No matter how much his wolf had wanted the touch of pack; Peter couldn’t make himself touch those who had willingly turned their backs on him after the loss of his wife and child, refusing him his right to revenge. He was at war with himself, loving his nieces and nephews, whom he’d had helped raise, even while the sight of them sent pain through his chest, that they should be alive when his unborn child wasn’t.

The fact that he could think of that without the debilitating pain that normally enveloped him was a definite sign of his mate by his side, unknowingly helping him just by touching him and running with him, that feeling of pack and mate healing him ever slightly.

Peter was normally selfish, and if he behaved like his normal self, he would take her just for that reason—that it would help him finally heal. But he knew from her previous words that she was just as damaged as he was, and he knew if he claimed her he would damage her even more. He couldn’t live with the thought of breaking his precious mate.

 “Well, this is my stop. Thank you for running with me. I miss running with the pack back home. Will you run with me again tomorrow?” Stiles smiled a she kneeled down so she was at eye height to him.

Peter hesitated momentarily and then nodded, and Stiles beamed at him before she wrapped her arms around him, stroking him gently, and laid a kiss on his forehead. “Good night Big Bad. I hope you have good dreams tonight.”

He stood there in a daze as she turned her back to him and slowly jogged her way out of the trail to the field. How was it that this woman wasn’t in the least afraid of him? She touched him and talked to him as if she’d known him his whole life. Granted, she’d dreamed of him, which happened on rare occasions with mates, but it baffled him that with everything that had happened to her, she still trusted him.

He made his way back to the cabin quickly, still in a daze, shifting at the door and slipping his clothing on before walking in, his mind swimming with everything that had happened this evening.

“Did you have a nice run, Uncle Peter?” Laura smirked, which made Peter wonder if his niece knew more than she was letting on about why his runs were becoming longer and more frequent.

Peter ignored her as he made his way towards his bedroom; he was still slightly dazed from his time in the forest with his mate, and wanted keep the almost-natural high for a little while longer.

Laura stiffened, her nose raised in the air, sniffing, her eyebrows falling into a confused frown. “Why do you smell like Stiles?”

He stiffened involuntarily, freezing where he stood, at a loss for an explanation that wouldn’t make him seem even more suspicious than he already did.

“Did she finally break you down with all her texting? Did you finally go visit her?” She shifted closer, her nostrils flared as she scented.

“Of course I didn’t, do you really think I’d shift and then show up at her house naked? That wouldn’t make for a very good first impression on a human packmate. Laura, use your head,” he snapped.

“I bumped into her while running in the woods.” He tried to go with a variation of the truth.

“You did more than bump into her to have so much of her smell on you, Uncle.” She smirked.

Great—now she had to finally use her head, he huffed internally.

“Does this have anything to do with the reason you’ve been acting more and more agitated, frustrated, and snappy? You’ve also been taking more frequent and longer runs since Stiles has arrived.” Laura danced around her point like a fucking ballerina.

It was just his luck that his niece was channeling fucking Sherlock Holmes. He remained in place, his shoulders ramrod straight, glowering at his niece. “What are you insinuating, Laura?”

“I was just wondering if it had to do with the reason you so stubbornly refused to meet her in person, yet religiously answer the text messages that she sends you daily. I’m not blind; I see the little smiles that spread on her face when you guys text each other.”

“Maybe she’s just lonely and unable to text any of her friends back home since her homicidal ex-husband is gunning for her, so she’s projecting on me. Just spit it out, Laura, what are you working up to with your whole spiel?”

“Is Stiles your mate, Uncle Peter?” she asked, her eyes locking with his.

He sucked in a breath, unable to exhale, staring back at his niece; his body felt like it had turned to stone. His answer to that specific question could set his whole life crumbling at his feet, and Peter didn’t know what to say. His racing heartbeat was a clear indication that Laura had hit the jackpot with her question.

“Why did you wait till now to finally meet her in person, then? Stiles is more than old enough to claim, and she’s well aware of werewolf mating habits. She was there for Scott and Allison’s courtship,” Laura asked, confused.

Peter gaped at her easy acceptance. “Because I’m not going to claim her! She met a wolf today, a wolf she’s had dreams of since she was a child. She has no idea it was me, and I will be keeping it that way. Stiles is too good to be mated to someone like me. I would break her with the things I would need of her as a mate, and she’s already been through enough at the hands of her ex-husband.” He growled at her.

“Stiles is a grown woman, Uncle Peter. I highly doubt she wouldn’t be able to handle anything you throw at her. Lord knows we’ve had plenty of late-night drunken sex talks and have gone to plenty of clubs together.  You’re not her ex-husband. You would never beat her bloody on a daily basis. I’ve known you my whole life, I know you enough to know that much.”

“I am not having this conversation with you, Laura!” Peter snapped, growling. “Keep your knowledge of who the wolf is if she asks or I swear to god I will tell Talia that the person who smashed her beloved car last summer was really you, not Derek.”

Laura gaped at him, eyes going wide. “You wouldn’t dare.”

He curled his lip in a snarl. “Don’t test me.”

Without another word he turned on his heels and stomped into his room, slamming the door behind him.

Peter seriously wondered where he had taken a wrong turn in his life that he had to resort to threatening his niece to keep her from letting his mate know the truth about who he was.  He was still baffled at the fact that Laura wasn’t freaking out over the fact that his uncle was mated to a much younger, human pack member whom she considered a close friend. He’d expected her to be livid and ranting.

Peter lowered himself to his bed with a heavy sigh, his arm draped over his eyes, woefully wondering how his life had become this complicated. Yes, he’d been miserable before, but his life had been extremely simple: bide his time until the day he could get his revenge on the woman who had killed his wife and unborn pup.

His phone vibrated and he blindly reached for it on his nightstand before uncovering his eyes. An unwilling smile came to his lips as he saw Stiles had sent him another selfie. He quickly opened the photo, his body tightening with arousal at the sight. Stiles in a frilly Apron, batter on her finger, which she had to her lips ready to lick. She was staring at the camera as if surprised that the photo had been taken, even though she was the one who’d taken it.

_“Yum, I’m making cherry cheesecake. You sure you don’t want to come over tomorrow for a visit and have some? I honestly can’t trust Laura not to eat your piece if I send her home with it.”_

He couldn’t help but chuckle at her underhandedness. It wasn’t the first time that Laura had slipped and eaten part of his sweets from Stiles, and he loved her cheesecake.  He hit the reply button and quickly typed,

_“Sorry to disappoint you once again but I have things to do tomorrow.”_

His phone quickly lit up with another response.

_“Come on Peter. You’re going to give me a complex here. I’ve been here a month and we still haven’t met. Seriously is there something wrong with me that you don’t want anything to do with me? Ad least send me a photo of yourself so I can have an image of who I chat to daily. Come on Peter, pretty please? “_

Peter sighed deeply before giving in and clicking on the camera app on his phone and taking a photo of himself looking unamused, raising an questioning eyebrow. 

“ _Very well, let me appease you with a photo but don’t expect me to send you daily selfies like you do. And there is nothing wrong with you Stiles. If anything it’s more something to do with me.”_

He looked around his room, feeling extremely embarrassed at the fact that he had actually taken a selfie, almost expecting someone to jump out of hiding to laugh at him. His phone vibrated in his hand and he looked down at her response.

_“I knew you would be handsome. Someone with that sass and intellect had to have the looks to back it up. You’re definitely a Hale with those eyebrows! Derek is ALWAYS giving me that same look! Peter we have been texting back and forth for the last month, I’ve gotten to know you pretty well. There is nothing wrong with you, unless you’re agoraphobic, in which case I could come to you.”_

Peter preened slightly at the fact that she found him handsome as a human, not just in his wolf form, and liked him. His lips quirked at her stubbornness before he sent her a final text for the night.

_“Good night Stiles.”_

He smiled as she sent him a final text of her own.

_“Good night Peter, Sweet Dreams xox”_

He set his phone on the nightstand and curled up on top of the blankets, not even bothering to take his clothes off before sleep claimed him.

~*~

_Stiles walked into her childhood bedroom, towel wrapped around her body, and felt the soft breeze coming from her window—a window she knew had been shut when she’d left the room. She huffed before grumbling, “Derek, what have I told you about the window. I have a front door for a reason.”_

 

_“Tut tut, Stiles. Do you normally have other men crawling into your windows that aren’t your mate?” a soft, low teasing voice spoke from the corner of the room._

 

_Stiles turned toward the voice. The silhouette of a man leaned against the wall, his blue eyes glowing, the same eyes as her wolf. She gasped in surprise. “Is that you, Big Bad?”_

 

_He took a step out of the shadows, baring his teeth in a wolfish grin. His features were somehow still encased in shadows, her subconscious refusing to give her that last piece of the mystery of her mate’s identity. “In the flesh, Little Red.”_

 

_“My, what big teeth you have,” she teased breathlessly, her eyes taking in his body, encased in tight-fitting jeans and a slate grey V-neck that plunged deep and made her want to slide her tongue against the skin it bared._

 

_He stalked towards her, backing her up until she was pressed flat against the door. He leaned in to her neck, breathing her in. His voice went low, a soft growling edge to his words. “All the better to eat you with, Little Red. What do you think? Would you let me eat that pretty little pussy, Stiles? I bet it tastes just as good as it smells right now.”_

 

_He breathed in again and groaned lightly. “Your arousal smells amazing, like pumpkin spice mixed with warm dripping caramel. I just want to eat you up. Then again, maybe I should spank you first for letting strange men into your room. I bet your ass would look amazing, blushing red and squirming with you spread across my lap, your pretty little pussy soaking my thigh with how wet you’d get.” His fingers danced at the edge of her towel, barely touching her breasts, his eyes locked with hers._

 

_Stiles bit back a moan at his words. Of course her mate had to talk dirty; men who talked during sex always drove her crazy. Heat rushed to her pussy, her nipples hardening, and the heat of her mate against her front overwhelming her._

 

_Her hands slowly reached for his chest, desperately wanting to feel him against her palms. Before she could blink, he grabbed her wrists, pinning her hands firmly against her sides, his hands like vices as she flexed, testing his grip. “I don’t think so, Little Red. You didn’t ask permission.”_

 

_“Please, may I touch you?” she begged breathlessly, licking her dry lips nervously._

 

_His eyes hardened slightly, his tone rough, his body moving closer, pressing against hers chest to hip. “Please what?”_

_Her eyes widened in shock before she dropped her gaze nervously. “Please sir, m-may I touch you?” she stuttered, her gaze moving back to meet his._

 

_He smiled back at her softly, dipping to claim her lips in a chaste kiss. “Good girl, but no. Only good little girls who deserve a reward can touch their mates, and you don’t deserve a reward just yet. In fact I still owe you a punishment. Your safe word is ‘pumpkin,’ do you understand? If anything I do is too much, you use that word and we stop, no questions asked.”_

 

_She flushed when he called her a good girl, silently pleased at the praise, wanting more of it. Fear and excitement mingled at the idea of him punishing her. She trusted him to push her comfort but keep her safe, and so she nodded her understanding of her safe word._

 

_He released her and turned, walking to the bed before seating himself and slowly rolling up his sleeves, exposing his strong forearms._ _Why is it that even his forearms are sexy?_ _she thought to herself breathlessly._

 

_His eyes flashed electric blue, not even trying to hide his hunger for her. “Take the towel off and crawl to me, pet.”_

 

_Stiles shivered at the firm tone in his voice—soft, yet commanding, brooking no disobedience. She unhooked the towel from under her breasts, letting it pool at her feet, a blush heating her face and chest, before slowly lowering herself to her knees. She moved forward in a seductive crawl, her back curved, accentuating the curve of her ass the way she’d been taught. Her eyes connected with her mate, watching his gaze dance over her skin, appreciating the show she gave him._

 

_“Good girl.” He smiled down at her, his hand reaching down to stroke the side of her face, thumb skimming her lips, a look of pride in his eyes._

 

_A wave of pleasure hummed through her body at the praise, her face leaning into the caress of his hand, her mouth opening at the feel of his thumb, letting it slide into her mouth, swirling her tongue around it, moaning at the taste of her mate’s skin._

 

_His eyes darkened and he groaned lightly at the suction. “That’s right, pet. Show me how much you want to suck my cock. I bet you’re a menace with that tongue of yours. Maybe I’ll let you have a taste after your punishment if you’re good girl for me.”_

 

_She moaned at his words, sucking on his thumb harder, trying to wordlessly show him how much she wanted to feel his cock in her mouth. She was hungry for it, desperate. She would do anything to taste it. She wanted him to come down her throat, wanted to swallow it all up. Her pussy throbbed at the thought._

 

_He slowly slipped his thumb from between her lips reluctantly, patting his thigh. “Crawl up on my lap now, pet. Face down, ass up.”_

 

_She quickly obeyed, her body shivering as his hand slid up her spine, pushing her chest and face down into the mattress, her ass in his lap. “Safe word, pet?”_

 

_“Pumpkin, sir,” she replied, her voice trembling slightly in both fear and excitement._

 

_His hand came up to rub against her ass gently. “That’s my good girl. I’m going to remind you of the rules, pet. You are not allowed to come unless I tell you to. You will count the strikes verbally and ask nicely for another; failing to do so will earn you a longer punishment. Do you know why you are being punished, pet?”_

 

_Stiles paused momentarily before answering breathlessly, “Because I didn’t lock my window and put myself in danger, sir.”_

 

_His hand slipped between her legs, two fingers sliding inside her, wrenching a broken moan from Stiles before he took them away once again. “Good girl. I can’t protect you twenty-four hours a day, Stiles. You need to keep yourself safe when I can’t do it myself. Leaving your window unlocked is just asking for a predator to crawl into your home. Scott or Derek are fine, but what if someone came in who actually meant you harm? I wouldn’t be there to protect you, and I can’t live without you, you know I’d die without you.” His voice wavered at the end of the sentence as if the idea of her losing her shook his control._

 

_Stiles sniffled, fighting off tears at the idea of losing her mate, her chest tightening in pain. “I’m sorry sir, I wasn’t thinking.”_

 

_His tone hardened. “No, you weren’t thinking. And that’s why you are going to count twenty-five strikes, Stiles, and don’t forget to ask for another.”_

 

_His hand landed on her ass with a crack, surprising a yelp of pain from Stiles, his hand rubbing the skin where his hand had landed. “One. Please sir, may I have another?”_

 

_His hand landed on her other cheek, and Stiles groaned at the pain, which radiated straight to her clit. It hurt but it was also so good.  “T-two. Please sir, may I have another?”_

 

_His strikes volleyed on, her ass ablaze, making her squirm against his thigh at each strike. He would pause here and there to rub her ass or slide his fingers into her gushing pussy, which was dripping all over his thigh just as he’d promised._

 

_A particularly hard slap stuck her blazing cheeks, and Stiles moaned, her whole body shaking and taut, tears running down her face. She was so close to coming just from the friction of his thigh, his hand striking her ass and the feel of his erection against her stomach. “T-t-twenty. P-please sir, m-may I have another?” she barely stuttered out. “Sir, I’m so close, please sir may I come?”_

 

_He chuckled lightly. “No, only good girls get to come.” His hand slid into her wetness and stroked it back up between the cleft of her cheeks, playing with her rosette before pushing through, his finger going down to the first knuckle.  “God you’re tight. I can’t wait to fuck this little hole. We’ll have to stretch you out first, with a plug. I have the perfect one at home just for you. It’ll go in easy, but then it expands and vibrates. I look forward to tying you up and watching you squirm as the vibrations make you crazy,” he whispered silkily._

 

_He thrust his finger into her ass slowly as he continued murmuring, “Maybe I’d fuck your pussy while you lay there with the plug inside of you? Would you like that, pet? The plug would make your pussy so much tighter, a nice little snug passage for me to fuck. You’d feel the burn of the stretch with every stroke. I’d take you so slow, making sure that you don’t come. That would have to wait until I finally claimed your ass. ”_

 

_Stiles whimpered breathlessly, her whole body quivering at his words as he removed his finger and sent another quick volley of strikes to her ass. Stiles barely managed to count and beg, her body so close, trying so hard not to disobey him._

 

_When the final strike fell, his mouth descended on her ass, tongue and lips kissing her over-sensitive behind as he groaned. “Look at how beautiful your ass is, all red and blushing for me, pet. So beautiful, you did so well. I’m proud of you.”_

 

_She basked in the praise as he raised her gently into his lap to touch his lips with hers lightly, before moaning at her oversensitive ass rubbing against the denim of his jeans. It hurt, yet felt so good. “Please sir, may I come now? I’ve been a good girl, please.”_

 

_He chuckled lightly before kissing her nose gently. “Yes pet, you can come. Lay down on the bed on your back, arms up. I’m going to tie you up and fuck you now. If I don’t get my cock into that tight little pussy now, I don’t think I’ll have enough control not to hurt you.”_

 

_She quickly, if not a little over enthusiastically judging from her mate’s chuckles, laid down in the middle of the bed, her arms up in the air._

 

_He reached up, tying each of her wrists to a leather cuff he had attached to the headboard of the bed, then moved to do the same to her ankles.  “Comfortable, pet? They’re not too tight?”_

 

_Stiles nodded, anxious to finally feel him inside her. “Yes, sir. They’re fine.”_

 

_He grinned at her before peeling his clothing off. His V-neck first, giving her a chance to stare at his gorgeous chest and arms as they gleamed in the moonlight. Next went the jeans, and with her luck, he had gone commando, so nothing impeded her first look at the gorgeous hard cock that sprung free of the confinements of the denim. He was breathtakingly hard, the head raw and angry, curved upwards against his abdomen. Her mouth watered for a taste of it, but her body was too impatient for that._

 

_He let her look her fill before lowering himself to the bed, crawling on top of her, claiming her lips with his. “Are you ready to take my cock into that pretty little pussy, Little Red?”_

_She moaned loudly, her hips thrusting up as much as the restraints would let her. “Yes please, sir. Please fuck me; I want you to stretch my pussy with your cock. I need it so bad, I feel like I’ll die if you don’t give it to me.”_

 

_He chuckled darkly “Such a demanding little pet. Don’t worry, I’ll take care of you, and you can come any time.”_

 

_She cried out as she felt the head breach her. Finally, he was going to fuck her. He was a perfect size, just big enough to stretch her and make it burn, her heated ass rubbing against the sheets adding to the sensation._

 

_He thrust to the hilt with a curse, his fingers pinching her nipples tightly. “God you’re so tight, pet. I don’t think we’re going to last very long this round. I think next time I spank you I might have to make sure you’re not squirming all over my cock. It’s not the best for my control.”_

 

_Stiles felt the same; her body was so overheated she felt like she could come at any time. Her eyes closed tightly as he started to move inside of her at a rough fast pace, just how she loved it._

 

_“Look at me, pet. I want to see your face when you come for me.”_

 

_Stiles forced her eyes open to lock with his in wonder at how perfect he was for her, both gentle and loving and hard and rough._

 

_She frowned, her eyes dropping to the necklace around his neck. Had he been wearing that before?_

_She felt his body freeze on top of her when what she’d thought was a necklace tightened around his neck, his hands leaving her body to try to grab at it when it started to burn, purple smoke wafting from the wound. A disembodied voice chuckled evilly, the sound surrounding her._

_“Did you really think I’d let him have you? You’re mine, Stiles”_

~*~

Stiles screamed herself awake, her heart racing, unable to take a breath. She was alone in the house, no one there to help her. Her mate was dead—that was the only important thing that her mind could process.

She reached for her phone, needing someone to talk her through her panic attack. She dialed Laura first, but the phone went straight to voicemail. Tears were now running down her cheeks as she gasped for breath. She dialed Peter’s number, hoping he would answer.

A sleep-filled voice answered on the second ring, the voice calming her slightly. “Stiles? Are you okay? What’s wrong?”

Stiles gasped for breath, trying to form words. Her heart was beating out of her chest, which was so tight she couldn’t breathe.

“Stiles, I can hear you breathing and your heart racing. Talk to me.” His voice was stronger this time, sleep pushed away to make room for concern.

She finally managed to croak out, “Panic attack,” whimpering at the burning pain in her chest.

“Alright Stiles, you need to breathe. Listen to my breaths, okay? Breathe in, now out, now again. Good, just keep breathing. Everything is fine, you’re okay, everything is okay. Good, now breathe again, in, now out. “

He talked her through her panic attack until she could finally breathe again, and she couldn’t help being embarrassed at the situation. “I’m sorry for waking you up. Thank you for helping me.”

“Anytime this happens, Stiles, don’t hesitate to call me. It’s no problem. Did you want to talk about what brought on the panic attack? Was it a nightmare?”

Stiles sighed lightly. “Yes, it was a nightmare. It started out as a nice dream. I was with my mate, we were in bed together, and then I looked up at him and he had what I thought was a necklace around his neck. The next moment it tightens into a garrote laced with wolfsbane, purple smoke wafting from the wire as I hear Rafael’s voice telling me he would never let him have me, that I was his and he’d never let me go.”

By the time she was done telling Peter about her dream, she was shaking again, her heartbeat racing. “I woke up screaming at the top of my lungs and the only thought that I could process was that my mate was dead, that Rafael had killed my mate.”

“Easy Stiles, you’re okay, your mate is fine, Rafael didn’t kill him. Just breathe.”  Peter soothed.

“What if he does, Peter?  He’s an FBI agent, he’s smart and able to adapt. I’m only human; I can’t protect my pack or my mate if he tries anything.  I feel so weak and helpless.” She sighed deeply.

“I think you’re tired and just had a nightmare that shook you.  It’s not like you to give up so easily. The Stiles I’ve come to know is anything but weak or helpless. She’s smart as a whip, strong-willed, and never gives up. And from what I’ve heard from Laura she’s able to hold her own running with werewolves.  She’s a strong woman who had the courage to leave an abusive relationship and has the backing of the pack to protect her should he be stupid enough to show up.”

Stiles sniffled lightly, rubbing the tears from her eyes, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips as she laughed softly. “Thank you Peter, for everything. I think I’m okay to try to sleep again now. It was nice to finally put a voice and face to someone I’ve been texting for the past month. “

“You’re welcome Stiles, and have pleasant dreams. If you happen to have another nightmare, call me first.  I’ll always answer. Don’t expect any more selfies, it’s not happening,” he teased lightly.

“Thank you Peter, that means a lot. And it’s okay if you don’t, but I really enjoyed the photo you did send me.  Goodnight, Peter.” She smiled in the darkness.

“Goodnight Stiles.” He disconnected with a soft click and Stiles curled back up in bed, thinking about how gentle Peter’s voice had been. She only hoped that her mate’s voice would have the beautiful calming tone.   Sleep claimed her with thoughts of Peter’s voice versus her dream mate’s voice.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> She hesitated nervously, a blush heating her cheeks. “Could I have a kiss, Big Bad? Please? I’d keep my eyes closed.”
> 
> He tensed, fist clenching, quiet for so long she thought he was going to refuse her. His voice was firm, but not harsh, just like in her dream. “Press your back against the wall, hands flat against the brick, and keep them there. Close your eyes and don’t dare open them or I will leave you here and you won’t ever see me again.”
> 
> Stiles felt a shudder wrack her spine as she backed up against the wall and closed her eyes.
> 
> “Are your eyes closed, Stiles?”
> 
> “Yes,” she responded shakily.
> 
> “Yes, what?” he snapped firmly.
> 
> Stiles felt herself dampen and her nipples harden just at the sound of his voice, firm and brooking no disobedience. “Y-yes sir.”
> 
> “Good girl,” he crooned as his hand gently cupped the back of her neck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Officially Beta'd! Thank you to the super Awesome Bitchinachinashop(Who writes the best Steter fics! Check her out!)
> 
> and as always my beloved Cheerleader FaeryCastle who keeps my ass in gear

 

The following few days passed so fast Stiles felt like she hadn’t had a chance to blink before they were gone.  She still went to the gym almost daily, with or without Laura.

Pole dancing had quickly become her passion. She loved the challenge of the acrobatics with the sensual mixed in. It made her feel like her own woman again. Erica kept teasing her that she had the perfect sex face, which was what she called the playful sultry pouty look she had perfected for when she was on the pole. 

She had also started taking burlesque, which was another fun class; this one was much more playful and less physically demanding.  It was more about learning your power as a woman and learning the art of the tease.

Hip-hop, Zumba and yoga were also things she had taken up again more casually, for days where she was bored and didn’t want to stay in an empty house.

She loved the gym and the people there.  They had quickly become like a second family to her.  She still missed her dad, Scott, the pack, and everyone else back home. Heck, she even missed Jackson, asshole that he was.  Thanks to Laura, Peter, Erica, and the rest of the gym crew she hadn’t been quite as lonely as she thought she would be this past month away from home.

She was even starting to teach some classes. Though she wasn’t officially staff—it was strictly volunteer for now—Erica had mentioned the possibility that once Christine, one of the pole and Zumba instructors, went on maternity leave, she might take more responsibilities on if she wanted them, with the possibility of being hired on, since Christine had mentioned becoming a stay-at-home mom. 

Something had changed in the Peter/Stiles dynamic somehow since the night she called him with her panic attack; he’d started messaging her much more often, a much more playful, rather than sassy and snarky, side having emerged in their dialogue. He sent her photos daily of things he saw on outings that might interest her or make her laugh; some photos she could even call selfies, but she kept that to herself.  Most recently he had sent her one of him sitting outside at a restaurant with a pair of designer sunglasses on, sipping a glass of wine and looking rather delectable in a tight red V-neck that was like a second skin. The man really was gorgeous, and the girls behind him checking him out seemed to agree.

She had replied back commenting on this, and he had laughed it off cockily, saying that his tastes didn’t run towards desperate and easy. He preferred his women with a bit more substance and brain. He could easily hear their conversation, and it was as empty as the women were.

Stiles refused to talk about her grey wolf with Laura, wanting to keep him as her little secret for just a little while longer, knowing how overprotective everyone was with her since Rafael, even if her wolf was pack.

Somehow she felt like Laura was suspicious as she kept giving her these looks as if she was about to say something and then backed out at the last minute.

She went running with her wolf daily, loving the thrill of running with pack again. Once they were done they would stop and rest in the lush grass, often with his head in her lap, and they would talk—or rather, she would talk and he would listen.

They would play wrestle, rolling around in the grass, the dogs barking around them as if placing bets on which one would be the winner. He let her win most of the time, lying belly up, tongue lolling to the side in a goofy canine grin as she crowed her success and gave him a belly rub.

Yes the week passed by quickly because she was, for the first time in a long time, happy and content. Things weren’t perfect; she missed her pack and Rafael was still out there. But for the moment she’d finally found a small measure of happiness that she could surround herself with and guard greedily.

All of these thoughts swam through her mind as she made her way to the trails, running a little ways in before the giddy impulse won out and she threw her head back and howled to her wolf, happiness bubbling forth in the sound. It wasn’t half bad for a human howl.

She kept on running, dogs at her side, waiting to see if she would get a reply.

Moments later the sound of an answering howl filled the air, and she changed her course, running towards the howl, knowing he wasn’t that far away judging from how loud the howl had sounded.

Reaching the clearing she saw her wolf waiting for her and finally slowed her run to a walk, trying to bite back the laugh that desperately wanted to escape her lips.

He walked towards her with two rabbits held within his jaw and ceremoniously deposited them at her feet before sitting and puffing his chest out regally. Then he flinched slightly, but kept his pose as if by sheer stubbornness.

Stiles had a feeling he would start doing this soon, and her heart swelled with emotion, though she still fought laughter knowing he was most likely internally fighting with himself over this act.

“Thank you, Big Bad. It’s a lovely mating gesture and I gladly accept it. However, I already know you’re more than capable of providing for me so please don’t take down a deer as an offering. I don’t have any tools to carve one up here like we did at the pack house. Rabbits will be more than acceptable. I have a decent knife for skinning. I bet your human and wolf side are probably at odds on this, huh? I remember when Scott was courting Allison he brought down a huge buck for her and proudly laid it at her feet and for the next week I had to hear him moan about how he killed Bambi’s dad and how it was all instinct and he couldn’t stop it. The pack couldn’t help teasing him about it.” She stroked his head gently, laughing as he huffed, clearly agreeing about the warring sides on mate offerings.

“You know you don’t have to feel silly about the mate offerings, right? I can tell that pride is a huge thing for you, and I just wanted you to know that I think that the whole mate courting ritual is beautiful. You don’t have to think that I’ll laugh at you or even refuse you. I really wish I could see you in human form, but I won’t even pressure you on that. I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

He swiped his tongue against her cheek, making her laugh, before a rendition of “Who Let the Dogs Out” started playing. Stiles froze momentarily before reaching into her pocket to take her phone out.

“Don’t judge me.” She glared at her wolf who she swore would raise a brow if he was able to in his wolf form, before hitting the talk button.

“Stiles, we have a womanly emergency, I need you at the gym ASAP. Caroline found her husband in bed with another woman. She’s a wreck and neither Erica nor I are the most empathic people. You’re the people person.” Stiles stiffened in outrage.

“That dirty rotten bastard! I’ll be right over, just get her something to drink, listen to her cry if she’s crying, and hold her hand. ” She hung up, turning to her wolf.

“Sorry, Big Bad. Looks like I have to cut our run short. I’ll see you tomorrow, though.” She smiled, leaning down to kiss his head gently and stroking his neck.

He whined lightly but didn’t try to stop her from leaving, and she loved him all the more for that.

Starting her run back to the house, rabbits in hand, she felt her wolf’s presence the whole way back, knowing he was making sure she made it back safely.

She rushed to the house, put the rabbits in the refrigerator, grabbed her keys and hopped into the little green used Toyota Tercel she’d bought herself, refusing to drive one of the sports cars or SUVs that Laura, Peter, and the rest of the pack liked to drive. Yes, she had used the pack’s money for the car, but at least she had only paid nine hundred dollars for it and it was in decent shape. She still missed her Jeep deeply. She wished she could’ve brought it with her, but they’d argued that it would have never made the drive and it was too conspicuous a vehicle.

She made her way quickly to the gym, storming through the doors even though the sign said “closed,” and followed the voices to the staff room. Laura quickly vacated her seat on the couch so Stiles could sit next to Caroline, wrapping her arms tightly around the petite redhead, who was crying.

They stayed like that for a while, letting Caroline cry and rage, letting her emotions out until she finally calmed enough to talk.

“I just don’t get what I did wrong. I should have known something was going on when he stopped having sex with me. When I caught them, he said that I couldn’t please him, that I was boring and he needed someone sexier and more adventurous.” She sniffled, her body curling inward in shame.

Stiles caught her chin to make her look her in the eyes, waiting for their eyes to meet before speaking fiercely. “You know there’s nothing wrong with you, right Caroline? That dirt bag was trying to hurt you because you found him in the wrong and he wanted to hit below the belt. You are a sexy, gorgeous woman. You do pole dancing and burlesque, it doesn’t get much more adventurous than that. Don’t you dare let that man bring you down. You are a strong independent woman and you are going to get through this and become stronger for it. There are plenty of other men out there who will appreciate you for the redheaded goddess you are. Understand?”

Caroline’s eyes widened at the rant before her eyes became determined and she nodded sharply. “You’re right, fuck that asshole. I deserve better.”

Stiles smiled and wrapped her arms around her once more, giving her a hug. She felt the other girls surrounding them in a group hug, making Caroline laugh. “Guys, you’re smothering me!”

They all separated, laughing, and Erica spoke up. “Well, I’m assuming that we’re not going to spend the night watching romance movies and eating ice cream and bitching about men, since that would mean moping. How about we go shopping, get some new club gear and go out to a club instead?”

The girls all agreed and even Stiles felt a little excited. She hadn’t gone out clubbing since she had married Rafael.

“What club are we going to? I haven’t been clubbing in the area yet,” Stiles asked curiously.

Erica grinned wolfishly. “My club, where else? Boyd, Isaac, and I own Howl.”

Caroline gaped and Laura stiffened slightly. The rest of the girls just grinned, obviously having been to the club multiple times.

“Isn’t Howl a BDSM club?” Caroline asked in shock.

Erica laughed lightly.  “It is, but the main club is completely normal and used for meetups and hookups. It’s like any regular club with dance music, guest DJs and shows on occasion. The basement section is for public displays, and then there are private playrooms. We have a wristband color code as well. Blue wristbands are for people who are visiting or curious or who don’t want to play, red is for dominant, yellow is for submissive, and orange is for switch, someone who likes to both be submissive and dominant. We’re only going there to dance, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, but if you decide you do want to explore, I own the place so I can switch your wrist band any time.” Erica winked at Caroline. 

A determined look crossed Caroline’s face before she grinned. “Ladies, let’s go shopping!”

Apprehension swelled up in Stiles before she pushed it down. Good BDSM clubs were some of the safest places to go to, even safer than a regular club. Some even had a drink rule. If you drank more than a certain number of drinks you got stamped and couldn’t go into the playrooms. This wasn’t her first time in a fetish club, and she hoped it wouldn’t be her last if her mate could accept her preferences.

The girls all made their way out of the gym, splitting to fill Erica and Laura’s cars for shopping. Laura hung back and cornered Stiles, looking worried. “Are you sure you want to do this, Stiles? You don’t have to if you don’t want to.”

“Yes Laura, I want to do this. I used to enjoy the clubs before Rafael; I won’t let him take that from me. Besides, I’ll be wearing a blue wristband so I’ll be safe from unwanted advances.”

Laura frowned slightly, wanting to say something else, but finally nodded before they got into the car and followed Erica’s car for an hour into the city. They finally stopped at a boutique shop that carried gorgeous club dresses and classy fetish wear and shoes.

Erica had greeted the shop owner with a hug and kisses on both cheeks before introducing her to the group as Genevieve, one of Howl’s original members and a really good friend. She encouraged them to try on anything they liked and helped them pick a few items.

Laura picked a pink dress that just showed a peek of cleavage in the front and fell mid-thigh, but when she turned around the back was bare and showing just a shadow of the cleft of her ass cheeks. She had matched it with silver stiletto sandals with rhinestones. All she needed was a pearl necklace to look like a senator’s wife who’d gone dark side.

Erica picked a tight red leather dress that fit her like a second skin, the back lacing into a corset doing amazing things to her cleavage, which practically spilled out of her dress. The black thigh high lace up boots she had matched with the dress left no doubt that Erica was definitely a dominant in her relationship with Boyd and Isaac.

Caroline picked a shimmering green dress that dipped almost to her navel and flared at the thighs, matched with a pair of thigh-high leaf-inlaid green leather boots that made her look like a woodland fairy and complemented her fair skin and red hair.

Jeannine picked a black, skin-tight dress which was floor length, but backless, and had slits on the sides that went right up her thighs, with an embroidered gold dragon wrapped around her side. It flattered her golden Micmac skin tone and black hair; she had matched that with a gold pair of stilettos

Georgette had chosen a gold and cream empire-waist dress that made her look like a Greek goddess with her blonde hair already braided in a fancy twist. Her shoes were a perfect match, a brown leather stiletto that looked like a Greek sandal.

Stiles tried on a few dresses, getting slightly frustrated every time she tried a dress on and it wasn’t what she was looking for, until she finally fell on a gorgeous dress inlaid with blue Swarovski crystals. It glimmered against the light like blue fire, and reminded her of her wolf’s eyes. It was a very short dress, just covering everything that needed to be covered. It showed just a shadow of cleavage, but like Laura’s, the back was very low and there was a silver chain strung with crystals that connected at her shoulders and fell down to caress the curve of her ass as she walked. She had paired it with a pair of silver stilettos that glimmered just as much.

She quickly pulled out her cell phone, snapping a photo of herself in the mirror and sending it to Peter, knowing he had the best fashion sense out of the whole group and wanting his honest opinion on the dress and shoes.

“ _We’re taking Caroline to Howl after a nasty breakup and I need to pick an outfit. What do you think of this dress and shoes?”_

She waited impatiently for a reply, the girls calling out to her to hurry up, as they wanted to see the dress, before her phone finally vibrated.

“ _You look breathtaking, that color really compliments your skin tone and eyes. The dress IS a little short but that seems to be the trend for clubwear. The shoes are a perfect match to the dress. Stiles are you aware exactly what kind of club Howl is?”_

Stiles huffed lightly. Peter was the last person she expected to be protective of her.

_“Yes Peter, I’m aware that Howl is a BDSM club; it’s not my first time frequenting these kinds of establishments. Besides I’ll be wearing a blue wristband tonight so no one is going to be bothering me.”_

She finally made her way out of the fitting room and the girls gushed over her dress, Erica wolf-whistling in emphasis. Stiles rolled her eyes and blushed lightly, but knew this was the dress she was going with.

Erica fronted the bill, arguing that desperate times called for desperate measures and this was her way of making Caroline’s night special since she wasn’t the best at talking and feelings. She refused to let them see how much the total had been.

Their next stop was the hotel next to Howl nightclub. Erica checked them into a suite, arguing with them that if they were drinking, no one was driving, and then ushering them up to the most lush and decadent room any of the girls had ever seen. There were two bedrooms, one with a king bed and one with two queen beds, and the living room had a sofa-bed as well, so there was more than enough space to sleep. The bathroom had a huge soaker tub and a shower stall with multiple shower heads.

They only had a small amount of time to take everything in before she was ushering them to the spa for a massage, facials, manicures, pedicures, and hair and makeup.

By the time they were done they were buffed and shined and made up to within an inch of their lives. Caroline couldn’t stop thanking Erica for spoiling them, and Erica refused to hear it, saying she was just doing what needed to be done.

They made their way up to the suite and ordered room service, curling up on the big king-size bed to enjoy their food, chatting and laughing until late evening when it was time to change into their dresses and hit the club.

The perk of being friends and pack with the owner was that even on a busy Saturday night there was no waiting in line. The upstairs bar was open to non-members on Saturdays only and was so popular they almost always had to turn people away.

Non-members were given a neon green wristband that was easily noticeable and made it impossible for them to make it to the downstairs members’ area. Stiles and the girls were given their wristbands. Blue ones for both Stiles and Laura, who had decided they didn’t want to play. Erica and Jeannine had red bracelets announcing them as Dominants, and Georgette had a yellow bracelet. Caroline had also opted for a yellow bracelet, a determined look set on her face. Stiles decided she would stick close to her for the evening to make sure she was picked up by the right kind of Dom. If there was one thing she had experience with, it was that. 

Their second wristband was a golden color with V.I.P written on it. Erica explained that it announced to experienced members that they were special guests and not fuck with them lest they face her wrath. Stiles was sure there were other perks to go with it, but kept that to herself.

Once they had their wristbands on they walked through the changing area where members would normally change into their gear—some only played in clubs and kept their toys and fetish gear in lockers so as not to be discovered by family or friends. Erica explained all of this to Caroline, yet kept an eye on Stiles, a look she couldn’t quite figure out crossing her face.

Once they finally walked into the main club, the thumping bass enveloped them. The club was a sleek contemporary design, all black and streamlined. It had a stage at the back where the DJ was set up next to two poles. She remembered Erica mentioning they did their fundraising shows at Howl, so the poles weren’t surprising. Not that she had hadn’t seen poles at other BDSM clubs before.

They had a great light show going on, with multiple light effects against the walls and falling on the huge crowd writhing on the dance floor. 

Erica quickly hustled them to the bar, half draping herself over it to grab the large, muscled bartender in a lip-lock to end all lip-locks. She assumed that this was the much talked-about Boyd.

She quickly confirmed this by introducing him to Stiles and Caroline. The quiet bartender nodded and mumbled out a “nice to meet you” that was barely heard before asking what he could get the girls.

Of course Erica, being the evil woman that she was, decided to start off the evening with body shots. She called over a gorgeous curly-haired man who had the cutest puppy eyes Stiles had ever seen. He was also sporting a yellow wristband.

“Guys, this is Isaac, the other love of my life. Isaac here is going to take his shirt off and let us take some body shots off of his delectable navel, aren’t you, Isaac?” She grinned lightly, hand possessively pressed against his chest, nails slightly dug in.

Isaac blushed lightly, lowering his eyes, a smile teasing his lips. “Gladly, Mistress.”

He quickly stripped his shirt off, handing it to Boyd before laying himself on top of the bar. Boyd passed Erica a tray full of tequila shots and lime wedges and a salt shaker; clearly this was something that happened often.

Erica was up first, hopping on the bar and straddling his hips, placing a lime wedge in his mouth and lowering her lips to the spot where his treasure trail was disappearing into his pants, running her tongue over it and shaking some salt onto the area she had licked. Once that was done she poured her shot against his navel and grinned up at him. “Ready baby?”

He nodded down at her, trying to stay still and not waste any of the tequila pooling at his navel. She licked the salt and quickly moved to his navel sucking and licking the tequila before moving up to his mouth to grab the lime wedge and biting down into it. The music was too loud to hear but she was sure that Isaac had let out a few moans during the whole process, and the bulge in his pants pretty much confirmed it.

The rest of the girls took their turns, some a big more shy than others, choosing to do the shots from the ground instead of climbing on top of Isaac.

Once Stiles turn came, she felt playful. She had a mate and was in no way sexually attracted to Isaac, but he was pack and lord knows she and Scott and Derek had pulled things like this at clubs before to get a rise out of people. The pack was very close, and touching was never a huge thing to them.

Hopping onto the bar she grinned down at Isaac. “This is a first. I’m usually the one on the bottom.” She winked at him. He laughed lightly, such a puppy with that playful smile.

“If your Mistress likes, you can have your shot on me once we’re done,” she teased, grabbing a lime wedge.

Erica grinned next to them. “He’s been a good boy; he can definitely do a shot on you if he wants. Would you like tha,t Isaac?”

Isaac smiled at Stiles before looking at Erica, love obvious in his eyes. “Yes Mistress, I would really like that.”

“Alright, be a good boy and let Stiles have her shot. And remember, don’t spill.”

Stiles placed the lime wedge in his mouth and poured the tequila in his navel before looking him over wondering where to place her salt. She finally leaned in and licked at his right nipple and heard him groan, his body going tight, fighting not to squirm.

Erica laughed lightly. “Careful Stiles, Isaac’s nipples are extremely sensitive. You definitely chose the right spot to test him; he’s going to have to make sure he doesn’t spill if he wants his reward.”

Stiles grinned down at Isaac, knowing a reward would be all the better with a bit of a challenge. She let the salt fall on his nipple. “Ready Isaac? Remember what your Mistress told you, don’t spill or you won’t get your reward.”

He looked up at her, his cheeks flushed, pupils slightly dilated in arousal, and nodded.

Stiles leaned down to lick the salt, taking her time, rolling her tongue around his nipple, making sure he felt her hot breath puff against it as she pulled away. He moaned unsteadily, slightly muffled by the lime wedge, his body shaking. She moved down to his navel, tonguing the liquid into her mouth slowly, savoring the flavor of the tequila. It was a good brand, not the cheap kind some bars stocked. When she finally reached for the lime in Isaac’s mouth she grabbed it slowly, her teeth biting into it, letting him feel the puff of her breath against his lips before slowly pulling away.

The applause of the small crowd of people that had slowly surrounded them for the show brought her back to her senses, Erica grinning in pride at both of them. “You’d make one hell of a Dom, Stiles. Good job.”

She blushed slightly but managed a laugh. “Yeah not really, my tastes run the opposite gamut.”

Erica laughed. “So that’s why you knew what Isaac would like; you have experience of your own. You looked like you knew your way around a place like this. Knowing you these last few weeks I knew you’d be asking hundreds of questions if you didn’t know anything about it. I was finding it weird that you were so quiet, but this makes sense. Now I believe you promised Isaac a shot.”

Stiles nodded and grinned at Isaac. “So how do you want me, Isaac?”

He pondered her for a bit. “Well we’re not downstairs so I’m not going to ask you to take your dress off. So how about you sit on the bar and I’ll set you up.”

She nodded before hopping up on the bar and sitting down, Isaac grinning at her while he placed a lime wedge in her mouth. He placed the shot glass between her breasts and lifted himself so his knees were on each side of her.

She noticed the crowd was still surrounding them, watching the show, and Isaac seemed determined to give them a good one. He leaned in, his tongue swiping slowly against her collarbone. She shivered lightly at the feeling, the playfully soft edge of arousal just ghosting her senses. He sprinkled the salt gently against her collar bone and then looked her in the eye, a playful sparkle dancing in its depth. “Ready?”

She nodded, winking playfully at him before he descended on her collar bone, slowly licking the salt off of her. Much slower than she’d done to him, obviously teasing her and making a show of it before he moved his way slowly down her cleavage. He grabbed the shot glass with his teeth, throwing his head back to swallow it before placing it back into her cleavage and moving in to the lime wedge, slowly sucking on the wedge against her lips as if he was kissing her.  back, hand extended, to help her off the bar.

They both bowed to the applauding crowd, cheeky grins in place. Erica praised both of them before dragging the girls and Isaac to the dance floor. Everyone took their turn dancing with Isaac. He was a great dancer and completely harmless to bump and grind with, unlike some other guys who might get too pushy if you let them get up close and personal.

They alternated between body shots and delicious cocktails, which Boyd was a master at mixing. It took no time at all for the girls to get the official no-play stamp from Boyd, which meant that they would not get access to private rooms this evening.

The girls playfully complained but really didn’t care; they were having way too much fun dancing and flirting with men.

After the body shots Stiles started to get her first drinks from gentlemen. A good-looking man sporting a red wristband nodded at her and she lowered her eyes and gave him a small slashing hand gesture that Caroline noticed and asked about.

She slurred slightly from overindulging, “If a Dom offers a sub a drink and he’s too far to talk to and the sub isn’t interested, that’s the proper way to let him know you’re not interested. I might not be wearing a yellow band, but I’m a sub, so it’s just good manners.”

Erica leaned closer to her on her other side. “So I know you’re a sub, how come you didn’t go with a yellow wristband? I mean, you’re obviously an experienced sub, you have that vibe and the manners.”

Stiles snorted, turning towards Erica and lifting two wobbly fingers up. “Two reasons. One, my ex-husband was a shit Master who took advantage of me and left me pretty messed up for a while, so even though I’m a sub, I’m not ready to hit the scene just quiet yet. I will be in time. It’s part of me and I can’t live without it. Two, I have a mate now. Mind you, he hasn’t claimed me yet, but he’s started courting me.”

Erica frowned. “You have a mate? A werewolf in our territory? Who is it?”

Stiles giggled lightly. “No clue. I’ve dreamed of him since I was little, and finally saw him in person in the woods, but only in his wolf form. He’s so beautiful and regal, a gorgeous grey wolf with piercing blue eyes. He hasn’t shown me his human form yet, but I’m willing to wait until he’s comfortable.”

Stiles felt sadness overwhelm her and looked up at Erica, face falling. “What if he can’t accept this side of me, Erica? Not everyone is into scenes. What if he rejects me? Let alone when he knows the truth about me being broken goods. The things I let Raff do to me.”

Erica’s eyes had been growing wider and wider the more she spoke. “A grey wolf?” she choked out before her eyes met Laura’s behind Stiles; she missed Laura glaring at her shaking her head in silent conversation.

She finally huffed and waited for Stiles to meet her gaze before firmly answering. “Stiles, if he’s your true mate he will accept you and love you just the way you are. Don’t you worry, okay? Now stay here, I need to go talk to Laura.”

Stiles nodded, smiling and wrapping her arms around Erica’s waist. “Thank you Erica, you’re the best.”

Erica patted her head lightly before detangling herself from Stiles and making her way to her office, dragging Laura with her, the noise disappearing behind the soundproof walls as she shut the door behind her.

“Okay, you need to spill right now, because I only know of one werewolf who is able to fully shift into a grey wolf and that’s Peter. Is she seriously mated to Peter frigging Hale? The Peter Hale who your mother sent a small pack to keep around so that he wouldn’t completely lose his mind and go feral and kill off Kate Argent and start a war? The Peter Hale who refuses pack touch and who even Talia thinks might be unstable enough to snap any day now?”

Laura huffed and rolled her eyes. “Are you done with the melodrama, Erica? Yes, she’s mated to Peter. And if you think he’s unstable it’s because he wants you to, trust me. Peter hasn’t been really unstable in years. He just likes to let us all think he is. He’s a manipulative asshole, but he’s not crazy. I’ve lived with him long enough to know the difference. The only reason mother hasn’t realized this is because she never takes the time to actually come down and see him in person.”

Erica scowled. “Does Talia know about this?”

Laura scowled right back. “No, and she isn’t going to find out until it’s absolutely necessary. True mates are sacred, and not even an alpha is allowed to get between them. Mom is extremely protective of Stiles, even more so since Rafael. If she finds out, she’s going to whisk Stiles away and hide her somewhere none of us can find her, and that would be bad for all of us, let alone Peter and Stiles.”

She raised a brow at Laura, crossing her arms under her breasts pursing her lips. “You better have a damn good argument for why I shouldn’t be telling our alpha about this car crash waiting to happen.”

Laura sighed deeply. “Aside from the fact that Peter would in fact go feral if someone tried to take his mate from him, and Stiles would break down even more than she did after she ended up in her abusive relationship with Rafael? Ever since Stiles and Peter have met, both of them have changed dramatically. Peter smiles, Erica. And I don’t mean smirks; I mean I’ve seen full-blown smiles come to his face as he looks at one of the silly texts Stiles sends him. The anger that’s been rolling off of him since the fire has eased. I’m starting to see glimpses of the uncle I knew before the fire, and that’s something I never thought I’d see again. Stiles has also changed. I’m seeing her confidence come back and that spark that had dimmed behind her eyes is slowly coming back to life. After she left Rafael and arrived back at the pack house, she could barely look anyone in the eye. She didn’t laugh anymore, other than in a self-deprecating way. She’s always been good at hiding her emotions, just like Peter, but you could see it, smell it on her, the lingering fear and sadness. I know you smelled it the first time you met her. It’s slowly washed off of her since she met Peter, both as a wolf and through texting. If we tell Mom that they’ve mated before they claim each other, she’s going to move Stiles far away. And that isn’t good for either of them, or for the pack, because I guarantee you lines will be drawn over who stands behind them and who stands behind Mother on the issue.”

Erica listened to Laura’s long speech and stayed quiet afterwards for a long moment before her shoulders slouched and she sighed. “So why hasn’t your idiot uncle claimed her yet? She’s obviously receptive to both his human and wolf side, from the look she gets when she reads his texts and her rant about her wolf a few minutes ago.”

Laura rolled her eyes. “He thinks that he’s not good enough for Stiles, and that the things he’d ask of her would be too much after her abusive ex-husband.”

Erica’s eyebrows rose in shock. “So you’re telling me that Stiles is worried that Peter won’t want to mate her because she’s sexually submissive and was in an abusive relationship with a—well, I won’t call him a Dom since he doesn’t deserve the title, but you get my drift—and Peter refuses to claim her because he doesn’t think that Stiles could handle him being a Dom, especially after she was in an abusive relationship?”

Laura smirked. “Got it in one, sister.”

Erica groaned. “Seriously, with mindsets like that they’re going to dance around each other forever. You do know we’re going to have to give them a push, right?”

She nodded in agreement but sighed. “Unfortunately I’m leaving soon. School is going to be out, so it’s Derek and Cora’s turn to spend time with Peter. Cora is pretty attached to Peter, so I’m sure we could get her on board.”  

Laura grinned and they both shook hands, clearly looking forward to playing matchmaker. 

Stiles waited at the bar for Erica and Laura, nursing her margarita, the rest of the girls having gone back to the dance floor, enjoying the attention of men and woman alike.

Boyd took that time to give Stiles a glass of coconut water with a lime adorning the rim. “From the man in the corner. He says maybe you should lay off the alcohol now and rehydrate so you don’t get a hangover in the morning. I can tell him to mind his own damn business if you like.”

She looked to where Boyd was pointing and the man’s face was hidden by shadows, no features discernible. Suddenly his eyes flashed blue and she nearly dropped the drink she had raised to her lips to sip.

She passed her drink back to Boyd quickly. “Boyd, guard my drink will you? I’ll be right back.”

She didn’t wait for his reply, just quickly fought the crowd, making her way to where the man had been, only to see the back of him escaping through the back exit.

Stiles quickly followed, calling out after him. “Wait, It’s you isn’t it? My big bad wolf?”

He stopped in his tracks, keeping his back to her. “Go back inside, Stiles.”

“Did you hear what Erica and I were talking about? Was I right? Is my sexual preference a deal-breaker for you? Are you disappointed you ever met me?” She tried to quell her rambling, nerves overwhelming her as she waited for his response.

He kept his back to her but shook his head. “No Stiles, your being a submissive isn’t a deal-breaker, and I would never be disappointed in meeting you, ever. I’m just scared that the needs I have would be too much for you, especially after everything you went through with your ex-husband. I don’t even know the whole story, only the things you’ve said in passing. You’re too special for me to break with my needs. I’m sexually Dominant, Stiles; I’d require complete submission in the bedroom.”

Stiles scoffed. “What part of sexually submissive didn’t you hear? So long as you don’t want me to be submissive outside of the bedroom, it would be exactly what I want. I don’t just like submitting, it’s a need. But I will never be a slave again, Big Bad. I’ll be sassy and argue with you and push you every day. I refuse to submit ever again outside of the bedroom or a scene. I won’t be a doormat. But once we get into the bedroom, or in a club if you’re into that, I’ll gladly kneel for you and submit.”

His shoulders tensed and he let out a shaky breath. “Not yet, Stiles. I can’t claim you yet, you’re not ready. You need more time to heal, to reclaim your own power as a woman, and regain your confidence in yourself.”

She took a step forward before stopping herself. “Please Big Bad; can’t I see you just once?”

He shook his head. “I can’t show myself to you just yet. Not until I’m ready to claim you.”

She hesitated nervously, a blush heating her cheeks. “Could I have a kiss, Big Bad? Please? I’d keep my eyes closed.”

He tensed, fist clenching, quiet for so long she thought he was going to refuse her. His voice was firm, but not harsh, just like in her dream. “Press your back against the wall, hands flat against the brick, and keep them there. Close your eyes and don’t dare open them or I will leave you here and you won’t ever see me again.”

Stiles felt a shudder wrack her spine as she backed up against the wall and closed her eyes.

“Are your eyes closed, Stiles?”

“Yes,” she responded shakily.

“Yes, what?” he snapped firmly.

Stiles felt herself dampen and her nipples harden just at the sound of his voice, firm and brooking no disobedience. “Y-yes sir.”

“Good girl,” he crooned as his hand gently cupped the back of her neck.

She felt his breath against her lips and whimpered lightly, wanting to feel his lips against hers so badly she could taste it.

“Remember, keep your eyes closed, If you even try to peek I will leave you here and you’ll never see me again, understood?”

“Yes sir.” She knew he was serious and wouldn’t even risk peeking.

“Good girl,” he purred once more against her lips before he dipped his head to claim her lips, his tongue and teeth joining in on the kiss, leaving her breathless.

God, her mate could kiss. His tongue slipped in to tangle with hers, thrusting in and out like she wished he would thrust his cock inside of her, before he retreated his tongue to nip at her lips, alternating.

She desperately wanted to rub her hard nipples against his chest for added friction, and moaned as he retreated, refusing her the added sensation.

When he finally pulled his mouth back from her, his voice was rougher. “That dress is breathtaking on you, what I’d give to peel it off of you. Did you buy it because it reminded you of my eyes?”

She nodded, keeping her eyes closed. “Yes sir, I did.”

He slid his hand down her dress in a caress. “Good girl. I love the idea of all of those men lusting after you while you belong only to me. I saw the show you and Isaac did. You were breathtaking. I should warn you not to try that with any other men. Isaac is pack and I know he’s harmless. He has eyes only for Erica. If you tried that with anyone else I might be forced to end them. Understood?”

“Yes, sir. The only reason I was okay with doing the body shots was because Isaac was pack and he felt harmless, like a brother. I’d much rather have you drink from me, sir,” she answered breathlessly.

His breath hitched as his hand lowered to grab her thigh, raising it to hook against his hip while he rocked his hard cock against her pussy. “Alcohol has no effect on me, but I love the idea of drinking from you. Better yet, I’d love to drink from that pretty little pussy I can smell ripening just for me. Are you as wet as you smell, Stiles?”

Stiles moaned her hips grinding against his. “Y-yes sir.”

His fingers slid under her dress and Stiles whimpered as she felt the heat of his hand against her panties before he ripped them off of her in one firm tug. “I’ll be taking these with me as a memento.”

His hand came back, testing her, and he growled as he felt how wet she was. “You’re so wet Little Red, I could drown from it. I wish I had time to eat that pretty little pussy, I’d take hours coaxing more and more moisture from you.”

He slid two fingers into her, his thumb rubbing against her clit, and claimed her lips again, muffling her moans.

It had been so long for Stiles it took no time at all before she was begging him to come. His fingers were magic against her, curved just right, his thumb pressing enough to give her that friction she needed without being too rough.

“Please sir, may I come? It’s been so long, I don’t think I can hold back,” she whimpered.

“Come for me, Stiles. Let me feel that little pussy ripple against my fingers. I want to see what your face looks like when you come just for me.”

She let go at his words, her body wracked with tremors. His other hand covered her mouth to muffle her scream, his teeth biting down on her neck without breaking the skin but obviously leaving a mark, showing everyone in the club that she was his.

She heard him growl as he licked his fingers clean and then backed away. “Go back inside ,Stiles. Enjoy the rest of your evening. No one should risk trying to touch you with my mark on your neck. Don’t forget to stay hydrated to stave off the hangover all that tequila is going to give you if you’re not careful.”

A smile spread on her lips at his words. “Goodnight, Big Bad.”

His lips pressed against hers gently before she felt him turn away from her. “Goodnight, Little Red. Be safe.”

In a daze, she let herself back into the club and back to her stool, where Boyd gave her a raised eyebrow at the mark on her neck before giving her back her drink. She grinned back at him and gave him a wink before sipping on the coconut water that her mate had given her.

Erica and Laura’s faces were priceless when they saw the mark on her neck.

The first question from Erica was, “Please tell me you bumped into your mate here and you didn’t just let a random stranger mark you like that, because otherwise we’re going to have a bloodbath on our hands.”

Stiles gladly recounted the whole story, a huge grin on her face that Erica mirrored, even giving her a high five at the end.

Laura looked like she’d swallowed a lemon by the end of it and wanted to rip her ears out.

Stiles was baffled by this, since Laura was usually her biggest confidant when it came to sexual adventures and sex talk in general.

The rest of the evening went by quickly and they had a blast. Caroline crowed the whole way back that she was definitely coming back again and this time she was going to make her way downstairs at least to be a voyeur if not join in on the fun.

Stiles smiled, happy that both of them seemed to have gained back some of their confidence from this girl’s night out.

She still had plans for her mate; just because she was a submissive didn’t mean she was going to just lie down and take it. Her mate was soon going to learn that she was ready to be his and it wasn’t just his call to make.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Just place the containers on the counter, Derek. I’ll deal with them once I’ve put the chicken in to reheat in the oven.” Stiles went directly to the oven, turning it on and bending down to place the chicken inside.
> 
> Derek quickly placed the containers on the kitchen counter. “Why do you need to put it back in the oven? You could reheat it in the microwave; it’d be faster.”
> 
> “Shut your pie hole, you sacrilegious miscreant!” Stiles cried out as she turned around, just having placed the chicken in the oven.
> 
> Peter rolled his eyes. “Derek, I honestly hope no one ever lets you near any of our meals. If she reheated the chicken in the microwave, it would make the skin go soggy, the meat might toughen, and the only thing we would taste on that chicken would be any salt that she placed on it.”
> 
> Stiles moved forward and wrapped her arms around Peter, kissing his cheek loudly and patting it before scent-marking him lightly. “And you are officially my new favorite.”
> 
> Peter fought the blush that crept up as his wolf preened inwardly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Officially Beta'd! Thank you to the super Awesome Bitchinachinashop(Who writes the best Steter fics! Check her out!)
> 
> and as always my beloved Cheerleader FaeryCastle who keeps my ass in gear
> 
> The song that Stiles and Derek sing is Never split the party  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waa2ucfgVgQ
> 
> Cora's ringtone is roll a D6  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54VJWHL2K3I
> 
> If you are on Tumblr come find me at Sassysteter :)

Chapter 5

Peter hated airports. The overwhelming smell of emotions and body odor wafting from the crowds of people arriving, mixed with the excess sounds of voices, landing planes, and the PA system, was enough to make any werewolf nauseated.

He felt rather inconvenienced by having to pick up Cora and Derek at the airport, especially since it was right around the time he was usually going for a run with Stiles. He didn’t like leaving his mate running alone in the woods, even if it was in his own territory.

Heading for the arrivals gate, he checked the time and smiled smugly, noticing that he had gotten there with exactly two minutes to spare.  There was no way he was arriving early enough to have to wait. They had already inconvenienced him enough.

“Peter?” a familiar voice asked behind him. His whole body to stiffened, including some body parts that probably shouldn’t have, given the stench of body odor wafting around him, blocking his favorite smell in the world — the scent of his mate.

He slowly turned to stare at Stiles, who was standing behind him, Tim Horton’s cup in hand, looking like a ray of sunshine in a sundress and strappy sandals. He remembered her sending him a photo of the dress a week ago on her last shopping trip with Laura.  Her hair was slowly growing back, almost reaching her ears now, and a straw sunhat covered it. She had taken to wearing hats and bandanas to temporarily hide her awkward stage of hair growth before it was long enough to have styled.

She grinned back at him before throwing herself into his arms in a bear hug. “It is you! We finally meet, Creeperwolf!”

He chuckled at the nickname once the shock wore off, and gave her a slight squeeze back, unable to help himself. If she only knew how much of a creeper he was; she still had no idea he was her Big Bad Wolf. “If I remember correctly, you’re the one who started texting me and doing the creeping. Aren’t hugs reserved for guests coming out of the arrival gate, Stiles?”

“Hush you, we’ve been texting for the last few months and I’m finally meeting you, let me enjoy my hugs.” She nuzzled his neck as she chided him, scent-marking him.

He froze in shock at the gesture. None of his pack had even attempted to scent-mark him in years, knowing he had refused pack touch. The feeling of pack, home, and mate overwhelmed him. It just felt good, and right.  His wolf was content with his mate wrapped around them.

He tentatively leaned in to nuzzle her back and she gladly bared her neck to him, allowing him to scent-mark her. His nose managed to catch the light scent of happiness and the early rise of arousal over the stench of strangers’ body odor wafting through the airport, which elicited a low grumbly growl of contentment from him, making Stiles laugh. “Stilinski hugs: they’re magic, Peter, I warned you.”

He totally agreed. Maybe he was touch-deprived, but his mate definitely gave the best hugs in the world. He stayed there, gently nuzzling her neck, for probably a little longer that was proper for a packmate, but his wolf refused to let Stiles go too soon and Peter was happy to enjoy the close contact.

When his eyes opened once more and finally refocused, he saw the pair standing stock still at the arrival gate, and quickly began untangling himself from Stiles.

Cora had her hand to her lips, covering her shock, and unshed tears at the corners of her eyes at the sight of Peter willingly scent-marking pack. Derek’s mouth was gaping open in shock, unable to believe what he was seeing.

Stiles turned around and quickly let out a squeal, throwing herself at Derek and Cora who easily caught her between them in a group hug, heads quickly tucking into her neck to scent mark her, low rumbles of happiness, making Stiles laugh before she frowned her head turning as far as she could to look at Peter. “Hey Creeperwolf, why aren’t you getting in on this. Come on Pack hug over here. You’re pack, ergo you hug.” She finished by moving her head in a jerky, get over here movement.

Peter’s body once again tensed at the request.  He hadn’t joined in on any kind of pack bonding or touching in years. Derek barely tolerated him. Cora snarked at him constantly and managed to hold her own in their battle of wits, but didn’t seem to particularly like him.  He was a snarky, moody, and mentally unstable asshole the majority of the time—why would they possibly want him to join in?

Cora and Derek both took that moment to stare back at him, a cautious look of hope in their eyes. Cora actually gave him her best puppy eyes, while Stiles half-turned, keeping her arms around them both to look at him expectantly.

He huffed, rolling his eyes, trying to choke down the emotions bombarding him. Hope that his pack might be receptive, fear that they would refuse him; overwhelming sadness that he had turned his back on this for so many years, knowing he had hurt not only himself but his pack by doing so. If Stiles had never come into his life, he knew he never would have had any of these epiphanies. He would have stayed his normal angry, seething self, biding his time waiting for revenge, trying and failing not to place some blame on Talia and Derek.

He still wanted his revenge, and he would have it. But slowly he was working around his resentment towards the pack. He knew it would take him a long time to fully forgive Talia. She had banished him here and never once visited. But his nieces and nephews shouldn’t have to bear the brunt of his discontent. And Derek had been just as much a victim in the Kate fiasco as any of the pack had been.

He slowly moved towards his pack, trying to hide the tremors in his hands as he slowly reached out to wrap his arms around the three of them.  Derek let out a low thrumming growl, almost a purr of contentment, as his arms connected. Cora squeaked out a small whimper before wrapping herself against his side, tentatively burrowing her nose into his neck as if afraid he would refuse her.

Peter tentatively nuzzled her back and felt Derek slowly inch closer, body tense as if expecting Peter to physically harm him if he even attempted to scent mark him. Peter rolled his eyes before tugging on his nephew lightly, gently head-butting the side of his face, scent marking him.

Derek let out another low rumble finally scent-marking him back, causing Stiles to laugh happily, a smug yet content smile on her face. 

“So how about we blow this Popsicle stand and go eat? I have lunch and dessert ready to pop in the oven at home. We could eat it at my place or I can bring it to Peter’s, whichever you’re comfortable with. Don’t look at me like that, Peter. I swear to God you have been avoiding me for months. I’m not missing this opportunity to feed you a full meal, and I’m sure Derek and Cora miss my cooking. “

Cora snorted against Peter’s ear, whispering so only the werewolves could hear, “Stiles is totally pack mom. You better let her win, Peter; she gets super testy when she can’t feed people. Besides, she makes the best food and desserts ever.”

Derek groaned, grabbing Stiles and twirling her around, making her squeal. Peter’s body grew taut with jealousy, and he bit back a growl. “Please tell me you made chocolate chip cookies. The store bought ones just aren’t the same and no one else in the pack can bake like you do.”

Stiles laughed, patting Derek’s cheek fondly. “Of course I made chocolate chip cookies, they’re your favorite. I also made my chocolate ambrosia since its Cora’s favorite. If I’d known Peter was coming, I would’ve made pumpkin cupcakes as well.”

Cora whooped and crowed about how delicious her chocolate ambrosia was, and Peter tried not to pout at Stiles making his nephew’s favorite sweets and not his own.

Just great; he was turning into a jealous five-year-old who pouted. He was NOT getting jealous of his nephew, he definitely was not.

Peter was going to prove it by being the bigger adult here and volunteering his home. Okay, so his tone had a touch of a growl to it, but at least it wasn’t full-on condescending. At least he hoped he wasn’t going to insult his mate. “Our home has a much bigger dining room than the converted barn house, unless Talia ordered renovations done to the space.”

“Alright, so how about we split the party up between our cars. Derek, you can hop in with me if you like and help me cart the food to the car, and we’ll meet Cora and Peter at the house.”

They quickly agreed to everything and then proceeded to grab their bags and head to the exit. Derek butted elbows butting against Stiles playfully, making Peter want to rip Derek’s arm off until he became distracted by Derek’s off-tune humming — which quickly turned into a duet once they exited the airport, heading to the cars.

Both Stiles and Derek grinned at each other as they sang arm in arm, Stiles trying not to giggle, causing her voice to quiver.  “Don’t you know you never split the party, clerics in the back keeps those fighters hale and hearty, the wizard in the middle, where he can shed some light, and you never let that damn thief out of siiiiight!”

Peter froze, staring at them, mouth gaping as Cora teasingly yelled at them, “GEEKS!!”

“Says our party’s thief!” Derek and Stiles answered back in unison.

“Lies, all lies. I am not a dweeb.” Cora cried out, protesting, though the uptick of her heart proved she was obviously lying.

Derek fished his cellphone out his back pocket and a minute later Cora’s phone sang out “In a basement rolling dice, I’m a wizard, when we play, we do it right candles flicker, fighting dragons in my mind just for kicks, DM says you’re going to die, roll a D6.”

Cora flushed red and mumbled at them to shut up, causing both Stiles and Derek to roar with laughter, and Peter to wonder if his nephew was a pod person. He was still quieter than a normal person, but his regular anger and broodiness seemed to ease when Stiles was around. For the first time in years he had not only seen him smile but laugh, a full-body, playful laugh.  Cora was also more playful, her snark much less self-protective, and more teasing.

“You have a Dungeons and Dragons campaign going?” Peter asked softly, eyes connecting with Derek. Memories bombarded him: of seven-year-old Derek looking determined while he filled out his character sheet, of Peter proudly looking on, giving him suggestions here and there when he was giving his warrior skills that weren’t needed, but mainly letting Derek create his very first character.

“The last time we played was before I married Rafael. Do you play, Peter?” Stiles’ eyes lit up at the idea of having people to play Dungeons and Dragons with.

Peter opened his mouth, unsure if he was going to deny that he ever played or tell the truth. Derek cut him off, answering for him. “Peter is the best Dungeon Master I’ve ever played with. He taught Laura and me to play when I was seven. The adults always played, and we kept begging to be let into a campaign.”

Stiles laughed lightly. “We should see if Erica, Isaac, and Boyd would be interested. We could have a pack campaign.”

Peter shrugged, neither agreeing nor refusing. A small wave of panic bubbled to the surface at the idea of spending so much time with his mate in a small room, even with pack surrounding them, without claiming what was his. “We should get going if we want to eat.”

Sensing his unease, Derek gently grasped Stiles’ arm, guiding her to the car, while Cora followed Peter to where he had parked his own vehicle.

Cora waited until they were on the road for ten minutes before she broached the subject hanging over their heads. “So Stiles is your mate, huh?”

Peter snorted and rolled his eyes. “Let me guess, Laura told you?”

Cora shrugged. “She wanted to make sure we were aware of what was going on before we got here, and now I know why. The changes in both of you are so obvious we would’ve known something was up, and we might have panicked and told Mom. Laura only told me since out of all of us I’m probably the closest to you and Derek is really overprotective of Stiles—just as much, if not more so, than Mom—and would’ve told Mom the minute he was told. He needed to see it for himself first. I only broke it to him when we were on the plane and it was impossible for him to place a call. If he hadn’t seen you scent-marking Stiles he most likely would’ve called Mom immediately after landing.”

Peter growled. “Our mating is none of Talia’s concern, and she should know better than to meddle in a mating between true mates.  Not that I plan on claiming Stiles.”

Cora rolled her eyes. “Laura told me you were being pig-headed. I still don’t get why you’re not claiming her. Stiles is more than capable of handling anything you throw at her. As for mother, she’s extremely protective of Stiles, even more so since the whole thing with Rafael. She’s not supposed to meddle in a mating ritual, but I could definitely see her trying if Stiles is involved.”

She patted his shoulder and he surprised himself by not flinching at the touch. “Don’t worry, Uncle Peter; we have your back, as well as Stiles’.”

Peter chose not to comment. He sighed deeply, wondering what his life had become that his nieces and nephew were lying to their alpha and mother for him.

The drive went by rather quickly. Cora updated him on what was going on back at the Hale house; he’d stopped calling it home a few years ago in an act of self-preservation.

Rafael still hadn’t been spotted, and they were trying something new to try to flush him out.

That information made him growl and clench the steering wheel tightly. Cora’s hand on his centered him just enough to reign himself back in.

“They _will_ find him, Uncle Peter. And if it’s a member of the pack that does, I guarantee you no one will ever find his body.” Cora took her hand away slowly and moved to turn the radio on, classic rock filling the car for the rest of the drive.

Once they arrived, it only took twenty minutes for Derek and Stiles to walk into the house. Stiles was holding a roasting pan with what smelled like chicken; Derek, behind her, had his arms stacked with Tupperware containers of different sizes.

“Just place the containers on the counter, Derek. I’ll deal with them once I’ve put the chicken in to reheat in the oven.” Stiles went directly to the oven, turning it on and bending down to place the chicken inside.

Derek quickly placed the containers on the kitchen counter. “Why do you need to put it back in the oven? You could reheat it in the microwave; it’d be faster.”

“Shut your pie hole, you sacrilegious miscreant!” Stiles cried out as she turned around, just having placed the chicken in the oven.

Peter rolled his eyes. “Derek, I honestly hope no one ever lets you near any of our meals. If she reheated the chicken in the microwave, it would make the skin go soggy, the meat might toughen, and the only thing we would taste on that chicken would be any salt that she placed on it.”

Stiles moved forward and wrapped her arms around Peter, kissing his cheek loudly and patting it before scent-marking him lightly. “And you are officially my new favorite.”

Peter fought the blush that crept up as his wolf preened inwardly.

Stiles turned just in time to see Derek’s hand in the Tupperware container containing his chocolate chip cookies. Her hands quickly went to her hips before she yelled, “Derek James Hale! Get your hands off those cookies or I will ban you from any homemade sweets for the remainder of your Canadian visit! Then you’ll have to wait God knows how long before you come back down for a visit to taste any of my baking!”

Derek stepped away from the cookies, his neck bared in submission just at the thought of losing cookie privileges for so long.

Peter snorted. “She definitely has Derek whipped.”

Cora snorted. “Stiles is no pushover—it might be healthy for you to remember that. The whole pack already knows it, and no one messes with the pack mom. She even has Mom wrapped around her little finger. We once had a visit from the Braiden Pack, you remember them? They were from South Dakota. The alpha decided Stiles would make a perfect mate after eating her cheesecake. She fended off Alpha Braiden’s unwanted attention all week, and then she overheard him talking to his second about how he was going to take her home and get her full of pups when they left, whether Talia accepted the truce or not. Peter, stop snarling and keep listening, it gets better. Stiles turned around, grabbed her wolfsbane-infused bat, and stomped back over to the alpha and hit him straight across the face with it, knocking him out. When he came back to, Talia was holding Stiles back while Alpha Braiden’s second demanded retribution. Everyone started bickering, including Mom, and you know how much control she has. Stiles took out a dog whistle and blew it, making everyone clutch their ears, yelled at everybody to shut up and asked Talia to let her go. When she did, she stood her ground, glaring at Alpha Braiden and telling him what she did was completely deserved since he was a werewolf and she couldn’t just slap him like she would’ve a normal man for the things he said about her. Then she started to berate him on his methods of wooing her, how a proper courtship should’ve gone, and that she would never, not even in his wildest dreams, be his brood bitch, kept barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, and that he could go fuck himself if he thought Talia would agree to a mating ceremony in exchange for a truce.   

“Alpha Braiden just stared at her while she ranted, hands waving in the air in one of her stereotypical Stiles rants. Once she was done he stayed quiet for what felt like forever, and then burst out laughing. He kept on laughing until he couldn’t breathe anymore, and by the end of it he teasingly called her the little alpha human. We had a few other packs visit and word must have spread because every single alpha to visit would smile when introduced to Stiles and teasingly call her Alpha Stiles. The name kind of stuck. Alpha Braiden still sends her a present once a year on that date, and we’re not sure if it’s a courting gift or an apology gift.”

He tried to choke down his arousal at the idea that his mate would literally strike down an alpha’s unwanted advances, yet she’d submitted so prettily for him at the club. Peter never wanted a doormat for a mate. He wanted an intellectual equal and someone he could argue and debate with, someone who would give as good as she got. A submissive did not automatically mean a doormat, unlike what some people outside of BDSM thought.

Stiles huffed, flushing slightly. “He was a grade-A jerk and I have a tendency to not think before I act. That could have gone very bad, very fast. I’m just lucky he apparently had a sense of humor.”

Before anyone could comment Stiles turned into a veritable hurricane, placing the chocolate ambrosia—which looked absolutely amazing—in the refrigerator, placing potatoes to cook on the stove top, mixing a salad dressing from scratch. She took the chicken out of the oven and placed it on a plate to cool before deglazing the pan with white wine, making a roux with butter and flour, and slowly adding the strained pan drippings into it like a professional. The finished product was silky and smelled amazing; she only added the bare minimum of salt.

She was at home in a kitchen and looked like she should be in charge of a high-class restaurant. Especially with the way she was ordering Derek and Cora to set the table as she plated the food like a work of art.

When they finally sat down to eat, his mouth was watering for a taste of what his mate had prepared. When they all took their first bite of chicken, the werewolves groaned in unison, making Stiles chuckle.

The chicken had to be the best thing he had ever tasted in his life. She had stuffed it with clementine’s and lemons and rubbed the skin with smoked paprika, rosemary, lemon and clementine zest, and a little bit of salt and pepper. To plate it up she’d just drizzled a bit of the thickened pan drippings with wine overtop.

Everything was just cooked so well and nothing was overpowered by spices. Some people tended to go crazy on spices and salt. It was one of the main reasons he preferred eating at five-star restaurants. As a werewolf his senses were heightened, and eating at most fast-food restaurants was like sucking on a salt lick.

“This is amazing Stiles. I can see why you’ve had mating proposals over your food. I’ve never had chicken this good before, and I’ve eaten at plenty of five-star restaurants.”  Peter couldn’t help but smile at Stiles before taking a bite of his mashed potatoes, biting back a moan—she’d snuck cheese into them.

Stiles blushed, mumbling a thank-you. Cora and Derek looked back and forth between Peter and Stiles, once again battling shock at Peter for smiling and at Stiles for blushing and remaining quiet. She normally would be brushing off the compliment with some offhand comment about anyone being able to cook.

Stiles quickly excused herself from the table and Derek and Cora grinned at Peter before Cora spoke up. “If you think this food is delicious, wait till you try her chocolate ambrosia. It’s the food of the gods for a reason.”

Derek huffed. “It’s really good, but her chocolate chip cookies are still her best dessert recipe.”

They bickered back and forth until Stiles returned with a grin on her face. “Derek, I call dibs on that tub!”

Cora and Derek both groaned as Peter watched in confusion, hoping someone would explain why Stiles wanting a bath was groan-worthy. Though it would cause _him_ to groan, the idea of being able to hear her in the tub, water dripping over her body.

Cora huffed. “Stiles, are you going to tell Peter this story or am I? I wasn’t there for the whole thing so I wouldn’t be able to tell it as well as you.”

Stiles chuckled. “This was a few years back; we’d just gotten back from the beach and I’d decided that I wanted a bath in the gorgeous soaker tub in the main bathroom. Well, Derek decided that he wanted a bath, too. This was a little earlier in our budding friendship and we had this tendency to try to get a rise out of each other. So were both arguing over who got to use the tub, and Scott, poor gentle puppy that he is, was trying to mediate. I finally snapped, ‘He’s either going to let me into that tub or we’re going to share it,’ and Derek just scowled, all eyebrows, and hoisted me up over his shoulder. He walked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut, locking it and sending poor Scott into a panic. Especially with me screaming at Derek to put me down and then squealing as he threw me in the tub. He ran off to get Talia and my dad, thinking that Derek was probably in the bathroom ravishing me or some other stupid idea like that.  After about five minutes he came back, with Talia and Dad in tow. She broke the door open and they all rushed in to find me and Derek in the huge soaker tub, still in our bathing suits. The look on their faces was priceless.  Talia looked like she was going to rip a hole in Derek, Dad looked like he was going to take his gun out and shoot him, and Scott was so panicked you could see the whites of his eyes. He looked more like a rabbit than a puppy.  We just looked at each other and burst out laughing. I think that was the turning point in our friendship, actually. That’s when we joined forces to terrorize everyone.”

They all laughed, except for Peter, who tried to fight back the jealousy at the thought of Derek and Stiles in a tub together, even in bathing suits.

Peter smirked lightly. “Derek always did like to pull stunts. I remember one time, you and Laura decided you wanted to bake cookies. You snuck downstairs when everyone was sleeping, mixed the ingredients together and put them in the oven, and then left them in so long the oven caught fire. He ran to my room bawling his eyes out, begging me to put it out before Talia found out and punished him. You still owe me for that one. I took the rap for that fiasco, even though I’m a perfectly good cook.”

Derek blushed so much his ears and neck were red, as Cora and Stiles laughed.

Cora grinned evilly. “Well, since this is turning into ‘let’s tell funny and embarrassing stories about each other,’ Peter is a lot younger than Mom, so he tended to be given the responsibility of taking care of us.  People always thought that he was a teenage dad and that I was his daughter. He would even try using us to help him pick up girls.”

Stiles sniggered. “I bet you were a smooth player, weren’t you Peter?”

Peter snorted. “I was unless one of the kids derailed it. Cora specifically liked to strip down and run around screaming buck naked when I tried to pick up girls.”

Cora covered her face in mortification while Derek and Stiles laughed like crazy.

“I remember her doing that, Stiles, he isn’t lying.” Derek choked out between laughs.

Stiles chortled. “How old was she when she did this?”

Peter grinned, baring his teeth. “She was eight.”

This sent everyone back into peals of laughter.

Cora glared at Peter before baring her teeth in a vicious grin, making Peter wonder what story she was going to share.

“Mom’s favorite story about Peter has to be from when he was ten years old. It was a full moon and he shifted for the first time. It upset him so much he couldn’t calm down enough to shift back for a week, and then only because Grandma alpha-roared him out of it. “

Stiles had tears running down her face as she gasped laughing. “Oh, Peter, you must have been adorable like that. I just imagine you as a little kid with furry ears and little fangs sticking out. Alright, enough making fun of Peter. In exchange I’ll tell you two embarrassing stories, one for Cora and one for Derek.”

They both groaned and Stiles laughed. “Oh, shut up. If you can give it, you can take it.”

Stiles winked at Peter before taking her time thinking of a good story about Cora.

Stiles smiled evilly at Peter. “You saw Cora’s argument about not being a geek. She is the biggest closet geek I have ever seen. We attended Comic-Con together a few years ago. I dressed as Little Red Riding-hood, and Cora shifted and dressed as the Big Bad Wolf. People would come over and tell her that her costume needed work and kept giving her suggestions on how to fix it up. Can you imagine? People telling a real live shifted werewolf she needed to look more like a werewolf.”

Cora groaned. “I am not a geek, I did not do that! It’s lies, all lies!”

They all scoffed at Cora. Stiles’ grin rivaled any wolf’s as she turned to Derek. “Your turn now. Derek.”

She turned to Peter with a conspiratory smile on her face before she began her story. “A few years back, during my senior year, Derek thought he was in love with me. So when someone played a nasty prank on me, leaving me dateless for prom, he jumped at the chance to take me. I’m not sure how, but he managed to get himself a tux within two hours and we drove up to prom in his Camaro, leaving a lot of girls gaping at Stiles with the supermodel-gorgeous guy on her arm.”

Peter bit back a growl while Stiles grinned at Derek before turning back to continue her story. “So prom went great, I danced with Derek and Scott and Allison. I even danced with Danny, Jackson, and Lydia. I thought I was in love with Lydia for a long time; turns out I was just in love with her shoes.  Don’t laugh—she has the sexiest shoes I’ve ever seen. I would never be able to afford the kind of shoes she wears.  So Derek brings me on the dance floor for a slow dance and leans in and kisses me. This is my first kiss by the way. He pulls back and we look at each other and Derek just scowls, full-on Broody McEyebrows! He gives me my first kiss, and then scowls at me. “

Derek scowls at her now. “It’s not my fault. I kissed you and felt nothing, zilch. I expected to feel at least something with someone I thought I might be in love with.“

Stiles huffed. “So obviously neither of us felt anything with that kiss. Derek just storms off, obviously having forgotten how to use his words. Danny comes over looking worried, and I tell him what happened. He scowls and offers to kiss him and storm off to see how he feels, which I quickly try to convince him not to do, since Derek is a werewolf and Danny is a squishy human. But he just scoffs, saying his date stood him up so it’s not like he has anything better to do. I watch as Danny walks over to the punch table, says something to Derek, and then just invades his space, grabbing Derek into a lip-lock to end all lip-locks. Derek just stands there for a minute, shocked, and then melts into the kiss. Then things got a little out of hand, so I went over to them and split them up, letting them know they were not allowed to defile the punch table and telling to get a room. At this point Derek finally managed to find his words enough to apologize to me. I wasn’t angry, so it wasn’t a big deal. I was only angry at him for storming off. I didn’t feel anything from the kiss either.

“So Derek and Danny look at each other and then take off towards the locker rooms and I catch up with Scott and Allison and we continue to dance and have fun.  A little while later, in comes coach Finstock with Derek and Danny by the ear. He heads straight for me before letting Derek go and yelling at me to ‘Put a leash on your date, Stilinski, I don't want my players defiling my locker rooms.’ Derek was mortified; Danny just had a huge grin on his face.  It was definitely one hell of a way for you to come out of the closet though, Derek. Coach was not amused. Little does he know how many times Lydia and Jackson have defiled his office.”

Everyone laughed, including Peter, relieved now that he knew Derek was gay. He could care less about his nieces’ and nephew’s sexual orientations, but this meant there was nothing going on between him and Stiles.

He took another bite of his food; God, it was so delicious.

Stiles sighed. “I wish I could have pulled crap like that, but sadly no one would have sex with me back then.”

Peter drew in a breath while he still had food in his mouth and immediately started to choke.

Cora slapped half-heartedly at Peter’s back, smirking.

Stiles got up and quickly took everyone’s plates away before serving dessert, which was amazing. The chocolate ambrosia was a chocolate cake that was crumbled with a layer of chocolate pudding with crushed Skor bits mixed in and whipped cream on top, with shaved chocolate decorating it.

When Peter took his first bite he bit back a moan before locking his eyes with Stiles and blurting out, “Will you marry me?”

Cora and Derek burst out laughing as Stiles grinned and blushed. “Sorry Peter, I have a mate, remember?”

Peter pretended to be put out and sighed. “Well, if that doesn’t work out please think of me as a second option. I’ll gladly combat my werewolf metabolism while eating your sweets to see if it’s possible to have a fat werewolf.”

Stiles laughed. “No you wouldn’t. You’re a narcissist and wouldn’t dare risk your figure.”

They all laughed, Cora teasing Peter about Stiles having him pegged.

They all helped clean up and Stiles started to yawn even as she tried to keep conversation going.

Peter placed a hand on Stiles’ shoulder, concern etched on his face. “You’re getting tired. Why don’t I drive you home? I can run back, it won’t be a problem.”

Stiles easily agreed, looking ready to drop on her feet. “Sure, Peter. It’s been a long day; that big meal just made it all catch up to me.”

Stiles quickly said her goodbyes to Cora and Derek who reluctantly let her go after she promised that they would see her again tomorrow.

Once they were in the car Stiles turned to look at Peter a smile on her face. “I’m really glad we finally got to meet in person, Peter.”

His lips twitched lightly before he glanced her way. “You’re happy you finally got to meet the narcissistic agoraphobic werewolf who also happens to be your friends’ uncle?” he teased.

Stiles huffed quietly. “Seriously, Peter, just having you to talk to, even if it was only texting, made the move a lot easier for me and I really appreciate it. That night I had a panic attack, I’ll never be able to thank you enough for just being there when I felt so alone. Thank you, Peter.”

He parked in front of Stiles’ farm house and turned the car off before turning to look at Stiles. She looked breathtaking with the moonlight kissing her face. He sighed softly. “I really meant it, Stiles. If you ever have a nightmare, call me first. I will always answer.  I know what it’s like being in a strange place, feeling scared and vulnerable and having no one to turn to. You can turn to me, I’ll be here.”

Stiles’ smile trembled slightly before she leaned forward to kiss his cheek gently. “Good night, Peter.”

Peter held his breath for a moment, savoring the feeling of his mate’s kiss burning against his cheek before he managed to let his words out breathlessly. “Good night Stiles”

He stepped out of the car but stayed until she was in the house and he heard the deadbolt click. Once he knew she was safely locked up in her home, he turned and made his way back to the house, where his niece and nephew waited, most likely to discuss why he refused to claim his mate.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stiles laughed lightly. “I’ve always been Derek’s wingman, Peter. He’d be lost without me.”
> 
> Peter huffed. “Yes, well, he should have left you home if he was just going to abandon you to go get laid.”
> 
> Stiles snorted as if Peter was the slow one, her slur a little bit more prominent. “Seriously, what’s a wingman without his plane? Or is that pilot? He can’t just leave me at home, he needs his wingman.”
> 
> “Dammit, Stiles! Did Derek leave you alone and drunk?”
> 
> Stiles let a giggle slip at the frustration bubbling from Peter before pursing her lips and frowning at her phone. “Don’t you dare be condescending with your attractive voice and perfect face, Peter. You’re not my mate; you don’t get to be angry at me. Besides, Derek needs me. He had a tendency to pick up the crazies if I’m not there to screen his potential partners.”
> 
> Peter snorted and mumbled something that sounded like ‘obviously,’ before sighing deeply. “You’re pack, Stiles, I’m going to worry. He shouldn’t have left you alone and vulnerable. Just give me the name of the club and I’ll come and pick you up and see if Isaac or Boyd can go and keep an eye on you until then. Can you go to the bar or somewhere safe and public in the meantime?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Officially Beta'd! Thank you to the super Awesome Bitchinachinashop(Who writes the best Steter fics! Check her out!)
> 
> and as always my beloved Cheerleader FaeryCastle who keeps my ass in gear
> 
> So a little bit of information about me. I live in the country in the middle of nowhere and do not own a car! 
> 
> Im heading to the city tomorrow and will be gone for possibly  
> a week. A mini vacation since my best friend bought us front row vip tickets to the backstreet boys and we are also going to watch the amazing spiderman and Captain america 2. I expect to eat out at korean and japanese restaurants with friends and have a blast! But that also means that I wont be home to work on my next chapter for a bit.
> 
> About this chapter. I have always seen Stiles as Bisexual or Pansexual. I REALLY like the idea of Stiles being pansexual though and I can't stay away from the drag queens. Their just so great! My best friend did drag once and hes not usually touchy freely but as a woman he kept hugging me and after a while I had to tell him I'm kinda uncomfortable cause I'm liking this too much XD.
> 
> The gay bar is based on the gay bar I tend to hang out at. And people really are that nice there. I'm pansexual and married to a man. I've honestly never gone to the bar to pickup. My friends and I go there to dance and have fun and I almost ALWAYS have someone buying me a drink just because their nice and hugs galore Its really a great club.

Chapter 6

 

Derek had decided that they needed a bar night since they hadn’t had one in a very long time. Cora had been pouting all night about not getting to come along, but she was only eighteen. Derek gladly used that as an excuse to monopolize Stiles as his wingman, much to Peter and Cora’s dismay.

And that was how they ended up at Triangles. It was only gay bar in the city, but it was nice. The people were friendly, but this wasn’t surprising because, hello, Canada! She had yet to meet a rude person here, and it sometimes freaked her out. A guy had literally bought her a drink because he liked her dress.

Derek was physically dragging Stiles away from the drag queens she had just met, grumbling that this happened every time they went to a gay bar as Stiles moaned, “Noooo, my people.” Much to everyone’s laughter and delight.

They headed to the bar once again to order cocktails. Stiles slipped a special wolfsbane concoction into Derek’s drink, allowing him to feel the effects of alcohol. She refused to let him use it by himself ever since he had overdone it and almost overdosed on the wolfsbane a few years ago.

They were both pretty buzzed by this point; Stiles more so than Derek, since he liked to keep his wits about when looking for a hookup. It wouldn’t be long before guys got the courage up to come over and proposition him. She knew how things went. At first they were usually wondering if he and Stiles were a couple, but then got enough drinks in them to risk coming over to confirm it. Derek was gorgeous enough to take risks for.

Derek turned to her as she sipped her drink. “So, you and Uncle Peter looked pretty close the other night.”

Stiles groaned before dropping her head to the bar. “Can we please not talk about that?”

He chuckled lightly. “Why not? Scared you’re going to end up my aunt by marriage?”

Stiles groaned once more. “No, because I have a mate already! Granted he hasn’t claimed me yet, and even with that I somehow can’t help being extremely attracted to your uncle, like _really_ attracted. He’s smart, witty, funny, sassy, and good-looking. He keeps up with my movie references and keeps me mentally stimulated. Do you know how hard it is to find anyone who’s smart enough to keep me focused?”

Derek raised an eyebrow as if she was an idiot. “What’s the problem? Other than you finding my uncle attractive, there’s definitely something wrong with you there.”

Stiles downed her drink before turning fully to face Derek. “What part of ‘I have a mate’ didn’t you hear? I can’t be attracted to both my mate and Peter. It’s like I’m being unfaithful.”

Stiles’ eyes widened with shock. She bit back a whimper before curling into Derek, clutching at his shirt and looking up at him. “I’m a horrible person, aren’t I? What kind of mate even looks at another man? There has to be something wrong with me.”

Derek sighed, rubbing his hand over Stiles’ back. “Stiles, you are not a horrible person, and nothing is wrong with you, I promise. It’s completely normal, you’ll see.”

He ordered some shots that they quickly downed before he dragged Stiles to the dance floor, distracting her from the fact that he’d never really given her a full answer about why it was fully normal to be attracted to Peter.

Derek and Stiles bumped and ground together on the dance floor for an hour, men coming and going before Derek set his eyes on a gorgeous blonde that Stiles approved of. Not only was he gorgeous, but he had been nice enough to introduce himself to her, smiling and joking and dancing with both of them, not in the least trying to monopolize Derek.

When the three of them found themselves at the bar, Derek turned to her questioningly and she couldn’t help but laugh. “Go, he passes all my wingman tests, he’s your evening man, go rock his world and try not to break his poor little heart.”

He frowned lightly. “Will you be okay? We didn’t exactly plan this well. Normally we would have Scott here to drive you home.”

Stiles snorted. “I’ll dance for a little while longer, then probably call a cab and go to a hotel or something.”

Derek leaned in to give her a tight hug, kissing her temple. “Don’t do anything stupid and text me as soon as you get to the hotel and call if anything happens. I don’t care if I’m balls-deep in the guy, you are so much more important than me getting laid, got it?”

Stiles snorted. “What if he’s balls-deep into you? I know for a fact you’re VERY versatile. Don’t glare at me, you jerk. Yes, I will call if anything happens, and yes, I will text you as soon as I get to the hotel. Now go have fun.”

She watched with a small smile as Derek left with the gorgeous blonde, before turning to order another drink.

She danced for another half an hour before she started to feel nervous. This was the first time that she’d really been out of pack territory alone, and maybe she was feeling paranoid, but she felt like she was being watched.

Her heart rate picked up and she quickly made her way to the bathroom. Locking herself in a bathroom stall, she took her cellphone out, hesitating over her contacts before dialing, and trying not to hyperventilate

The person on the other line picked up at the second ring. “Stiles? Are you alright?”

Stiles sighed and let her body relax at the sound of Peter’s voice. “I’m honestly just being paranoid. I was dancing and thought I felt someone watching me and ran to the bathroom like an idiot and called you.”

She swore she could see Peter frowning before he spoke. “Where is Derek, is he with you?”

Stiles flinched, knowing Peter was going to freak out. “He’s with his gentleman _du jour_.”

She heard growling from the other line. “Derek brought you to a club just to hook up with a guy?”

Stiles laughed lightly. “I’ve always been Derek’s wingman, Peter. He’d be lost without me.”

Peter huffed. “Yes, well, he should have left you home if he was just going to abandon you to go get laid.”

Stiles snorted as if Peter was the slow one, her slur a little bit more prominent. “Seriously, what’s a wingman without his plane? Or is that pilot? He can’t just leave me at home, he needs his wingman.”

“Dammit, Stiles! Did Derek leave you alone  _and_  drunk?”

Stiles let a giggle slip at the frustration bubbling from Peter before pursing her lips and frowning at her phone. “Don’t you dare be condescending with your attractive voice and perfect face, Peter. You’re not my mate; you don’t get to be angry at me. Besides, Derek needs me. He had a tendency to pick up the crazies if I’m not there to screen his potential partners.”

Peter snorted and mumbled something that sounded like ‘obviously,’ before sighing deeply. “You’re pack, Stiles, I’m going to worry. He shouldn’t have left you alone and vulnerable. Just give me the name of the club and I’ll come and pick you up and see if Isaac or Boyd can go and keep an eye on you until then. Can you go to the bar or somewhere safe and public in the meantime?”

Stiles nodded as if Peter could see her. “The drag queens here were very friendly before Derek dragged me away from them. I’ll go make friends with them. Drag queens love me.”

Peter chuckled lightly. “You go do that. Just stay out in the open until Isaac or Boyd get there. Please be safe, Stiles. “

Stiles couldn’t help but smile. “I will, Peter.”

She disconnected the phone, feeling calmer knowing Peter was on his way. She felt guilty about not calling Derek, but she didn’t want to alert him unless it was something serious. Someone needed to be getting some in her little group, and it definitely wasn’t her since her mate refused to claim her.

She didn’t know if it was the alcohol giving her a second wind or what, but her courage came back. She huffed, unlocking the toilet stall door and washing her hands before quickly making her way to the group of drag queens holding court at the corner bar. They’d snagged the largest table there.

Her smile was barely faked when she greeted them. “Ladies, would you mind if I joined you?” They scooted over to let her sit at the table with them, reintroducing themselves.

Janice had gorgeous caramel-colored skin. She was wearing a tight red-floor length dress with a slit going high up her thigh, with matching stilettos. Her makeup was impeccable and her straight black hair was swept into an updo.

Carmen was a fair-skinned, big-haired blonde with tight blue Daisy Dukes. Her green plaid shirt was tied under her bust, and cowboy boots finished her outfit.

Tracy was a sultry redhead who also had a red dress, but hers was super-short and low-cut, with knee-high tan leather boots.

The others introduced themselves as well but she didn’t catch all of their names; her buzz was still going strong.

Janice, obviously the leader of their little group, leaned forward, cleavage flashing as she grinned rather wolfishly. “So Stiles, where’s that hunk that dragged you away earlier?”

Stiles tried not to stare. She was a gentlemen, and mated after all, but it took everything she had. There was just something about a drag queen who was able to stuff and shade so well that made their cleavage look better than most natural cleavage she had ever seen. Before her mate she might have been trying to see if Julia was into women.

She tried not to frown at herself as she analyzed her feelings. She knew if she didn’t have a mate she would be completely into this. Stiles was pansexual — She was attracted to all genders. They all had different things that aroused her for different reasons.

Right now, other than her lingering fascination with how drag queen’s cleavage looked better than hers, she didn’t feel that familiar zing of arousal. It had been the same at Howl when doing body shots. Why did no one else arouse her now that she had found her mate, but Peter pushed all of her buttons?

Stiles laughed nervously. “He just left with his man _du jour_.”

Janice pursed her lips while raising a perfectly plucked brow. “So he left you here alone?”

Stiles grimaced lightly, flinching. “I’ve always been his wingman; usually we would have planned things better and had someone here to get me back home, or I would have been designated driver.”

Stiles sighed deeply before deciding on the full truth. “Okay, just let me be completely honest here. I was fine until a little while ago. I was dancing and then felt like someone was watching me, and not in a good way. I could just be being paranoid, but I recently left a really abusive relationship and he’s gone missing. So I holed myself in the bathroom to call someone, and he told me to get somewhere in the open and safe until he comes to get me, just in case. And, well, back home I used to hang out with some ladies just like you so I feel a little bit safer with all of you.”

The girls’ faces all grew fierce at the mention of her abusive relationship and they all patted her hand and agreed that they would keep her safe until her friend showed up. Then they quickly relaxed, trying to make her laugh.

After a while Janice gave her a contemplative look before finally asking teasingly, “So Stiles why was your friend grumbling when he dragged you off about this happening every time you went to a gay club?”

Stiles laughed. “Well, other than the fact that I do hang out with a group of drag queens back home… I’ve mentioned I’m Derek’s wingman — the guy you saw. A few years back we went to a new gay bar, where I met Jaden.”

Stiles grinned at the look of understanding dawning on Julia’s face before sighing, a wistful look on her face. “I remember being extremely embarrassed at being caught staring at her cleavage; she honestly had the best cleavage I had ever seen”

The girls all sniggered at her and she laughed, telling them all to be quiet before continuing her story. “She just grinned, took my hand and said I could touch them if I wanted to, and slid my hand onto them. We’d both been drinking a bit more than we should have, next thing I knew we were kissing and one thing led to another and we ended up at her place. We dated for a few months but then broke up when I went off to college. But we’re still good friends. I was a bridesmaid at her wedding. Derek was very upset that I left him stranded at the club with Scott, and other than my girls back home he’s never left me alone with drag queens, somehow thinking it’s going to happen again. It honestly was just second nature back there; he knows I’m mat- in a relationship.”

The girls all laughed, ribbing her as she huffed and blushed, secretly enjoying the teasing.

These girls were great and really reminded her of her girls back home, whom she missed a lot.

They suddenly grew quiet, looking at something behind them, eyes wide. She heard Carmen mumble, “Hot damn.”

A gentle hand landed on her shoulder, and she started before Isaac’s curls caught her view. He quickly caught her flailing limbs, biting back a laugh when she shot out of her seat into his arms. She nuzzled his neck lightly as she whispered in his ear. “Thank you so much for coming. I know you probably had other things to do.”

Isaac flicked her ear playfully before whispering back, “You’re pack, Stiles. We will always have your back.”

Stiles smiled as she pulled back and then turned to the girls to introduce Isaac.

“Does this mean you have to go?” Tracy pouted, making Stiles laugh.

“Not quite yet. Isaac is here to protect me until Peter gets here to take me home. “

The seats were all taken and the girls playfully began arguing over who Isaac would sit on before Stiles shoved him on her own chair and made herself comfortable in his lap. “Sorry girls, his girlfriend and boyfriend wouldn’t appreciate him playing with anyone else, no matter how fabulous. He’s going to have to stick with me for the night.”

He wrapped his arms around her, squeezing his thanks, and she laughed at the girl’s slack jaws when she said ‘boyfriend _and_ girlfriend.’

They finally shook their shock and laughed before Janice grinned. “You sure surround yourself with interesting people.”

Stiles couldn’t help the laugh that burst out of her. “You have no idea, Janice, you really have no idea.”

They spent the rest of the evening talking and laughing among more rounds of shots and cocktails, the girls buying her round after round now that she had Isaac protectively wrapped around her. She enjoyed her evening, laughing often, and made sure to exchange cellphone numbers with Janice, ordering her to share it with the girls so they could keep in touch. An hour later Stiles didn’t need the girls’ slack jaws and wide eyes to let her know Peter was here — she could feel his eyes on her.

Janice groaned. “Dammit Stiles, do you surround yourself with gorgeous men?”

Stiles flashed her a grin and a wink before Peter ripped her from Isaac’s arms. His eyes were wide with worry as he looked her over, patting her like he needed to feel that she was whole and unharmed, before he pulled her into his arms, unable to hide the tremor in them. “Dammit, Stiles, don’t ever scare me like that again.”

Stiles tried to fight back the shudder of want that filled her when Peter surrounded her. She patted him gently, trying and failing not to slur. “I’m fine, Peter. Isaac and the girls kept me safe. Its good manners to say thank you.”

Stiles bit back a whimper as he turned to the girls, keeping an arm around her possessively, and put on the charm. “Stiles tells me that you kept her safe while I drove down to get her. I can’t thank you ladies enough for keeping her safe for us. Here’s my card — give me a call, I’d love to take you all to dinner as a thank-you. How about at the new French restaurant, _Le Petit Cavalier?_ Five-course meal, fine wine, lovely company. Until then, have another round on me.”

Stiles gasped at the bill he pulled out and passed to Janice. “Peter, that is most definitely more than a round.”

Peter sighed. “Stiles, I really don’t care. You are worth much more than that.”

The girls all gaped before Janice finally spoke up. “ _Le Petit Cavalier_ is booked solid for a year; we’ve tried getting reservations.”

Peter grinned back smugly. “The owner is a very good friend of mine. Don’t worry your beautiful little head. I can get us reservations anytime.”

Janice agreed for all of them that it was a more than generous offer and they would gladly accept.

They all looked floored, and Stiles wanted to laugh. She imagined this was the usual reaction people had to Peter.

Stiles couldn’t help but smile. Not only had she made new friends, but this gave her a great excuse to see them again. Peter was a sexy genius.

Peter quickly said his goodbyes, gently herding Stiles out of the club. Both Isaac and Peter kept an eye out for anyone behaving out of the ordinary.

He kept hovering over Stiles protectively all the way to the car, opening her door and making sure she was safely belted before he headed to his side.

Isaac leaned down at Stiles’ window until Peter lowered it. They shared a look before Peter finally spoke. “Thank you, Isaac, for keeping Stiles safe.”

Isaac shrugged. “It was nothing. Stiles is pack; we would do anything to keep her safe. “

They nodded to each other before Isaac leaned to kiss Stiles on the cheek, giving her a cheeky grin. “Have a safe trip home, and next time you’re in town let’s hang out, alright?”

Stiles smiled back at Isaac and nodded. “It’s a deal, Isaac, and thank you.”

Peter drove off, waiting until they were on the highway before he spoke. “Stiles, pass me your cellphone please.”

She looked at him quizzically but handed him her cellphone without a word.

He quickly looked down at the cellphone, pressing a few buttons before bringing it to his ear to make a call. When the person on the other line picked up, he growled before speaking. “You need to get your ass back home now. I don’t care who the hell you’re sleeping with. You should have been protecting Stiles, not leaving her alone in a fucking bar! I called when I was on my way and you didn’t answer — you were obviously otherwise occupied and screening my call. Stiles felt like someone was watching her at the bar. Thankfully Isaac was answering his phone, unlike someone I know. I’m taking her home. I want you five minutes behind me or so help me god I will end you.”

He quickly disconnected the call with Derek and Stiles groaned. “It could have been nothing, Peter.”

Peter bit back a growl. “He still should never have left you alone. Stiles, you’re pack. You have no idea how important you are to m-to us. We can’t lose you.”

Stiles reached for Peter’s hand, gently squeezing it. “Hey, I’m okay Peter. Everything is fine; I’m safe thanks to you.”

He turned to meet her gaze, the fear swirling behind his gaze calming slightly. He swallowed tightly and nodded before putting his gaze back on the road.

They drove the rest of the way in silence. Peter gave her another hug and once again waited for her to lock the door behind her before he left.

She slipped her shoes off and didn’t bother taking off anything else before heading upstairs. Throwing herself down on the bed, she almost instantly fell into a deep dreamless sleep.

A loud scratching sound woke her up a few hours later. Her dogs started barking, letting her know someone was at the door.

She grabbed her cellphone just in case she needed to make an emergency call, and slowly walked downstairs. She couldn’t see the top of anyone’s head at her door.

She opened the door a crack to look out and quickly swung it wide open at the sight. Her grey wolf was collapsed at her door, blood dripping from a bullet wound in his flank. He whimpered when she leaned by his side, flicking his tongue against her hand, panting heavily with pain.

Stiles’ hands shook when she touched him, knowing the bullet had to be wolfsbane. “Oh Big Bad, what did they do to you? I need to move you, it’s going to hurt.”

He whimpered when she lifted him with a grunt. She was only able to get him into the kitchen entry, but at least that way she was able to lock the door.

Once he was inside she quickly grabbed her phone and dialed Peter, willing herself not to panic when he didn’t answer. Peter had promised he would always answer the phone.

She tried him twice before dialing Laura’s number. She answered quickly, voice filled with sleep. “Stiles? Is everything alright?”

Stiles whimpered, letting some of her panic out. “My wolf is here, Laura, and he’s been shot with what’s most likely a wolfsbane bullet. It’s not healing and I don’t have any antidote and Peter isn’t answering his phone and I don’t know what to _do_ Laura.”

Sleep left Laura’s voice immediately. “Calm down. Stiles. He needs you with a clear head to keep him safe until the others get there. Call Cora and Derek. I’m going to call Erica, Isaac, and Boyd, and the local Emissary. Just stay with him; he needs pack and his mate to help him fight. He didn’t want me to say this, but I’m going to say it now because he’s a stubborn asshole and it’s important: you need to know that the grey wolf, your mate, is Peter.”

Stiles gasped, her hand curling into Peter’s fur. It made so much sense, and she really didn’t know why she hadn’t seen it before. The way he’d been behaving tonight and the way she always reacted to him — not only had she been ridiculously attracted to Peter, he’d been stubborn about not meeting her in person yet religiously texted her back when she messaged him. He was protective of her, and she couldn’t see Peter allowing anyone else into his territory other than his nieces and nephews and maybe Isaac, Boyd, and Erica, and she’d never seen them actually enter his territory. Talia had told her that it was extremely rare for a werewolf to be able to shift into a wolf, even for alphas. For a beta to be able to fully shift he would have had to be extremely strong. She’d always seen Peter as an alpha who had chosen the rank of beta.

They hung up and Stiles quickly dialed Derek, who sleepily groaned. “Stiles, it’s four in the morning, why are you waking me up?”

Stiles ignored his whining. “Peter’s been shot and I’m pretty sure it’s a wolfsbane bullet. Laura is calling the Emissary and Erica, Boyd, and Isaac. You and Cora need to get here right now.”

Derek’s voice on the other line went serious. “I’m on my way. Make sure all the doors are locked and hold tight.”

Stiles stayed by Peter’s side, fingers stroking over his neck and shoulders. He went in and out of consciousness, whining and licking her hand whenever he came to.

Stiles felt helpless. She couldn’t take the pain away from her mate like werewolves could. All she could do was stay by his side and give him comfort by letting him know she was there, hoping it would help somehow. She couldn’t lose her mate. Not after waiting so long to have him.

A heavy knock announced Derek and Cora’s arrival, and she let them in. They immediately moved to Peter, Derek’s hand moving to Peter’s flank, ropes of black crawling up his arm as he took some of his pain. “We need to move him somewhere more comfortable, somewhere he’ll feel safer, the smaller the space the better.”

Stiles pointed upstairs. “My bedroom is the smallest room. Put him on my bed.”

They quickly got him upstairs and settled on her mattress. Stiles crawled into the corner against the wall so she could curl around him. Cora and Derek looked unsure, clearly wanting to join in comforting their uncle.

Stiles huffed. “Come on, he’s injured, he needs pack to help him heal.” They both slowly moved onto the bed, the dogs jumping up as well and curling up on the bottom of the mattress.

The phone rang as everyone settled onto the bed surrounding Peter, and Stiles quickly answered when she saw Laura’s number. “Stiles, the Emissary is on her way shouldn’t be more than ten minutes. Her name is Dr. Major. She’s a blonde, large stocky woman with a raspy voice. Erica, Boyd, and Isaac are on their way also; they should be about forty-five minutes away. How is he?”

Stiles’ breath shuddered out of her. “He’s in and out of consciousness and still a wolf. Derek is taking some of his pain away and he seems to have relaxed a little. We have him in my bedroom, trying to make him feel as safe as possible and surrounding him with pack.”

“Good, Stiles. It’s all we can do until the Emissary gets there. Just hang in there,” Laura soothed.

Stiles dug her fingers into Peter’s fur. She swallowed tightly, fighting back tears. “What if he doesn’t make it, Laura? I can’t live without him. He’s my mate. “

She felt Derek and Cora’s hands on her, comforting. “Stiles, Peter is strong, he’ll make it through this. Just be there for him, be his mate. Make him live for you.”

There was a knock at the door and Derek got up to answer, letting in Dr. Major.

Laura quickly hung up so that they could give her their undivided attention. She was the complete opposite of Dr. Deaton: talkative, explaining everything she was doing, hiding nothing. It put Stiles at ease. She wanted to know what was happening to her mate, and if Dr. Deaton had been treating Peter she might have hit him if he tried to be evasive.

She managed to find out what wolfsbane was used by doing a few tests, and then took a vial out. She burned the wolfsbane that was inside and pressed the ash into Peter’s wound, making him howl in pain. He shifted back to human form mid-cry and collapsed, unconscious, on the bed.

Stiles loomed over her mate worriedly, but Doctor Major eased her concerns. “He’s just unconscious. That was a particular nasty strain of wolfsbane, used to take down alphas. You’re lucky Peter is such a strong beta. It would most likely have killed him otherwise. Right now he needs rest and to feel the presence of his mate and pack. He’ll be as good as new in the morning.”

Doctor Major gave them a smile. Derek let her out just as Erica, Isaac, and Boyd arrived, obviously having broken every speeding law known to man to make it there in twenty minutes.

Somehow Boyd, Derek, and Isaac moved the dressers out of her bedroom and moved the bed from the spare bedroom into her room, making her room wall to wall bed space and allowing the whole pack to curl up around Peter. None of the wolves were able to settle without being able to touch their injured packmate.

They finally settled Peter in the middle of the bed with Stiles curled around him, Derek on his other side, with Cora laying at their feet with the dogs. Erica, Boyd, and Isaac curled around each other behind Stiles.

Stiles felt safe and content with her arms around her mate, now that she knew he would awake safe and healthy in the morning.

She felt him shift towards her in his sleep, his arms enveloping her, pulling her close. Finally she fell asleep, free of nightmares, with her mate and pack surrounding her.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He turned towards Stiles, meeting her gaze, imploring for her to understand. “That’s why I can’t do this, Stiles. I can’t screw up and have you become some doormat submissive, wanting to say no but unwilling because of the mate bond. I already lost my wife; if I lost my mate to my own hands it would break me.”
> 
> Peter was baffled by the small smile that spread across Stile’s lips. “Peter, that’s exactly why you wouldn't hurt me. I haven’t spoken about Rafael to anyone but Dad and Talia, and that was only so we could file a case against him. I think it’s time I told you everything that happened between Rafael and me. You need to understand that it’s never been the submission that I was ashamed of.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 12/8/2014 - Officially BETAD by my Badass Beta Bitchinachinashop!! 
> 
> \--------------------------------------
> 
> New Edit: Both my Cheerleader and I noticed a few discrepancies and also a few things that should be tweaked to make the story work better. Its not huge changes but enough to make a bit more sense.*
> 
> Hey everyone. So wow this is one long chapter! I’m sorry it took so long to publish. It was supposed to be finished much earlier but when I packed my laptop for my two weeks at a friend’s I forgot my charger, then when I came back I did sit down and write this but struggled a lot to write this, especially the flashback.
> 
> The rant that Peter gives about being a Dom is actually an excerpt from a comment an actual Dom posted. My lovely Cheerleader FaeryCastle sent it to me when she felt that it channeled Peter to a T. I just removed a few things and made it work.
> 
> For the flashback with Rafael you need to read between the lines really to see how manipulative he was. This was done for a few reasons. One is that in order to fully write their story I would have to do a prequel which would be a full second chapter and I really don’t want to write something so full of angst and hurt. Secondly it’s to show how someone can seem so normal from the outside. He slowly made her believe that she wanted to push everyone away through slow manipulation. This chapter might be a trigger to some so as always proceed with caution. I was never physically abused but I was psychologically abused when I was younger and I was sexually abused as a teenager and although I did NOT use any of my personal experiences for what she goes through I did use a little bit of the emotional side for Jake’s scene and channeled a bit of my past emotions in general. It still amazes me that eight years later after meeting my husband, quitting college and moving away from my mother’s abusive boyfriend (He was the psychologically abusive one) I can think back on things and not crumble. I never thought back then that I would ever heal enough to get to that point. It goes to show how strong we can be as humans and Stiles is nothing if not strong.
> 
> Every so often I read Peter and see a little bit of my husband in there and it makes me smile because he really is what I would envision a wolf mate to be. Smart, gentle, loyal with just a touch of temper and snarkyness. I was telling him about the abusive flashback I was writing and how in this specific scene Rafael hits her for the first time and my husband just flinched as if he was visualizing it happening to me and just the thought was more than he could bare. What a goob, I love him so much!
> 
> I’m thinking of posting some photos of the trails and the dogs and such on my tumblr blog if anyone is interested in some visuals let me know and I will. Stiles home is based off of our farm.
> 
> I am also looking for a temporary BETA as my own officially had her teeth pulled and made it out fine but is now working for the summer and does not have time to BETA my chapters. If anyone is interested please let me know. I hate posting up these chapters Unbetad.
> 
> Once again thank you to my lovely Cheerleader FaeryCastle who listens to me bitch and whine every step of the way and who lets me know if what I’m writing is utter crap or if it works. There are times when I’m writing at four in the morning, exhausted and not quite sure! She keeps pestering me for chapter updates and to stop reading fan fiction and keep writing. There would be no story without this woman, I swear to god.

Chapter 7

Peter came to in slow increments, feeling calm, safe, and content for the first time in years. The warmth of bodies pressed against him from all sides made him feel protected rather than stifled.

He tried to will himself back to sleep; he hadn’t had such a great sleep since he could remember. But the gaze he felt on him finally forced him to slowly open his eyelids to meet familiar, beautiful caramel-colored eyes.

The sight took his breath away. Stiles looked at him with such wonder and love, her lips curved into a smile, her hand tucked under her ear. She was turned towards him, legs tangled with his, allowing him to feel the same emotion emanating from her. It was so potent he fought back tears. His Adam’s apple bobbed harshly as he swallowed.

When she noticed him staring back at her she beamed, her hand moving up to flick his nose teasingly. “Morning, sleepyhead. You had us all worried last night. How are you feeling?”

He frowned, remembering being ambushed by five hunters. He’d managing to kill four of them before the last hunter had shot him with a wolfsbane bullet, before meeting his own gruesome demise between Peter’s jaws.

He remembered somehow making his way to his Stiles’ home by sheer will, wanting nothing more than to black out from the pain of the particularly nasty strain of wolfsbane they’d used on him. They’d obviously planned on taking out an Alpha, or a wolf as strong as one — most likely him.

Everything after that was blurry as he drifted in and out of consciousness. All he remembered was Stiles not leaving his side, always there every time he came to, calmly stroking his fur.

Peter shifted slightly, flexing muscles, assessing himself before finally answering his mate. “I feel fine, no pain or tenderness. Looks like I’m all healed.”

Relief flooded through the mate bond, then slight nervousness. “I’m glad you’re okay. You really scared me there for a bit. I thought I was going to lose you. “

She broke eye contact, nervously licking her lips before sitting up. “You must be hungry. I’ll go start breakfast, and you stay and rest up a little bit longer. I’ll make pancakes.”

Derek groaned behind Peter, making him jump slightly. “Please tell me you’re going to make chocolate chip pancakes, Stiles, please?”

Stiles chuckled, shuffling over the dogs and Cora and somehow managing to get off the bed without stumbling. “Yes, Derek, there will be chocolate chip pancakes. I also have blueberries and strawberries, so I’ll make a few different kinds. “

She flashed Peter another smile before disappearing out of the bedroom, and it took everything Peter had not to follow after her.

Derek cuddled closer to Peter, much like he used to do when he was a little boy, nuzzling his neck, scent-marking, while Cora slowly crept up to steal Stiles’ place next to Peter. “Stiles makes the best pancakes ever, you’re going to love them.”

Peter stayed in bed, enjoying the calm presence of his pack surrounding him and listening to his mate downstairs shuffling around, sliding an apron on and putting on music before taking ingredients out.

Not long after the music had started Stiles started humming and then singing.

He smiled to himself, listening to Stiles who was obviously dancing around her kitchen while she cooked and sang. His mate had a beautiful voice, and he kept listening to her as she switched from song to song, singing her heart out. The smell of pancakes wafted to the bedroom, slowly waking the rest of the pack.

Just as Erica finally woke up with a soft rumbling groan, a slower song started. Stiles’ sultry voice wafted upstairs, making Peter struggle to tamp down his arousal at the lyrics that were most definitely directed towards him.

_“Hey there little red riding hood, you sure are looking good._

_You’re everything the big bad wolf could want.”_

He remembered the first day that he saw Stiles running in the woods, that first time he caught her scent, his wolf crying out in triumph for his mate.

_“Little red riding hood I don’t think little big girls should, go walking in these spooky old woods alone._

_What big eyes you have, the kind of eyes that drive wolves mad._

_Just to see that you don’t get chased I think I ought to walk with you for a ways.”_

He remembered the first time he felt truly calm in years, running with his mate by his side, her laughter and chatter soothing him. Her hands curling into his pelt when they rested, allowing him the connection he refused to cement by claiming her.

_“What full lips you have, they’re sure to lure someone bad._

_So until you get to grandma’s place I think you ought to walk with me and be safe._

_I’m gonna keep the sheep suit on, till I’m sure that you’ve been shown, that I can be trusted walking with you alone._

_Little red riding hood I’d like to hold you if I could._

_But you might think I’m the big bad wolf so I won’t.”_

The feel of her lips against his when he allowed himself that moment of weakness and claimed a kiss at the club, fighting his wolf every step of the way not to claim her when he felt her heat against his fingers. He had refused to let her see him out of his wolf form, not wanting her to know who he truly was. Not wanting her to know how truly damaged her mate was.

_“What a big heart I have, the better to love you with._

_Little red riding hood, even bad wolves can be good._

_Try to keep satisfied just to walk close by your side._

_Maybe you’ll see things my way, before we get to grandma’s place.”_

He had tried so hard to remain content just to stay by his mate’s side, not claiming her as his wolf pushed him to. He could feel how she was slowly healing parts of him he hadn’t even known were broken. For the first time in years, the most important thing to him wasn’t vengeance; it was keeping his mate safe and happy.

_“Little red riding hood, you sure are looking good; you’re everything the big bad wolf could want._

_Little red riding I don’t think little big girls should go walking in these spooky old woods alone.”_

Erica shot out of the bed at the end of the song, running downstairs so fast Peter instinctively followed suit out of worry for his mate. He nearly barreled into Erica when she stopped in her tracks, pointing accusingly at Stiles. “You can sing!”

Stiles turned toward Erica, spatula in hand, looking guilty. “Uh, I can explain?”

Erica scowled, crossing her arms. “I don’t think so! You said the only reason you didn’t want to do a burlesque solo was because you couldn’t sing. That was singing, Stiles! You know I need more solos for the Burlesque Fundraiser.”

Stiles sighed deeply, shoulders slouching, thoroughly chastened. “I just didn’t know if I wanted to participate. Burlesque solos mean that I have to take my clothes off in front of a crowd.”

Peter stiffened behind Erica, biting back a growl, both sides warring at the thought of a crowd seeing his mate’s body bared. His wolf wanted to rend anyone who even lusted towards his mate; his human side loved the idea of all of those people seeing his mate, knowing only he had the right to touch her.

Erica whined like a five-year-old, causing Peter’s eyes to widen slightly in surprise. “Stiles, please! Think of the puppies and kittens that you’ll be helping! Our fundraiser brings in a lot of money, and the SPCA is so close to their goal for building the new shelter. We’re also sponsoring the surgery for Leroy, the Golden Retriever they got into the shelter recently. His owners beat him within an inch of his life and he needs both of his back legs amputated and a special wheelchair to help him walk again. Look at him, he needs you.”

Erica pulled her phone out, shamelessly using the photos of the dog to tug at Stiles’ gentle heartstrings.

Stiles sniffed lightly, fighting back tears at the sight of the gorgeous Leroy staring back at the camera in his kennel, IV at his side and his back legs in casts. “Do they have anyone lined up to adopt him?”

Erica met Stiles’ eyes fiercely. “Are you going to do the show?”

Stiles sighed deeply. “I will do one solo only, and the group choreography. That’s it.”

Erica squealed, wrapping Stiles in her arms. “You won’t regret it! The puppies and kittens thank you! I’ll ask Paulette if Leroy has an adoption lined up for after the operation yet. Most likely not, since they usually wait until surgery is done and recovery is full before considering adoption. “

Stiles smiled yet kept quiet, eyes still sad from the photos of Leroy, before turning to remove the last of the pancakes from the stove and moving the stacks to the table.

Peter pulled his phone out, sending a quick text to Erica, asking for Paulette’s email. His instincts demanded that he give his mate what she wanted and she wanted that dog.

She eyed him suspiciously before texting him the email.

He quickly sent Paulette an email introducing himself as an acquaintance of Erica’s and offering to pay for Leroy’s full surgery and everything else that he would need to live a normal life, immediately, if his girlfriend (he quite hated using the term, it felt so trite) could adopt him, granted she passed the adoption screening process.

He then sat himself at the table, watching Stiles busy herself readying the table, throwing him a warm smile every so often that made his heart flutter in his chest. Erica smirked at him knowingly every time it happened.

Stiles called out that breakfast was ready, and everyone quickly descended like literal hungry wolves. It brought a smile to his lips, his mate fussing over everyone, chastising Derek for hogging the chocolate chip pancakes.

She smacked Derek’s hand with her spatula when he made to reach for more chocolate chip pancakes. The same pancakes Peter had been reaching for, before even finishing the four pancakes he had already on his plate.

Derek curled his shoulders down, pouting like a petulant child as Peter smirked at him before flashing his mate a smile that she cautiously returned before taking her seat next to him

Peter took a bite of the pancakes and didn’t bite back his groan at the flavors. He hadn’t had pancakes from scratch in so long and refused to eat the boxed mixes that tasted like chemicals. She even served it with local maple syrup. Not only was his mate an amazing cook, but she cooked with a werewolf’s palate in mind.

Peter had never fought the urge to claim his mate so much as he did in that moment.

With the pack all seated around her small kitchen table, Stiles’ thigh and arm were pressed firmly against his, allowing him to feel the mate bond open up once again.

He could feel the tentative hope that Peter would accept her as his mate and her nervousness of what his reaction would be once everything finally sunk in. That she knew he was his mate, she knew his past and didn’t seem to be running away.

He also felt the zing of pleasure at watching him enjoy her pancakes and the warmth and love that radiated from her as she watched her pack dig into the food she’d provided. His niece and nephew were right — Stiles was a natural Pack Mom.

Peter desperately wanted to show her how amazing she was to him in his eyes. He wanted to tell her how beautiful, strong, kind, caring, giving and so fucking perfect she was, but he couldn’t come up with the words.

Besides, words were often lacking. You often said too much or too little or the completely wrong thing. How could Peter use words to show Stiles how she had stormed into his life and turned it completely upside down?

He really couldn’t find the words, so he opened up the mating bond, letting her feel the awe he felt towards her.

Stiles gasped, turning her gaze to Peter’s, eyes wide with wonder, her fingers slowly twining with his.

They stared into each other’s eyes, transfixed, communicating with emotions through their bond, their surroundings fading into white noise until the soft click of the front door brought them back to reality.

The pack had silently left the house to give them privacy. Something deep inside his chest constricted tightly. He felt humbled that his pack cared enough to give them their space, even after what a sanctimonious bastard he knew he’d been over the years.

Stiles cleared her throat lightly, a blush on her cheeks. “So… You’re Big Bad.”

Peter swallowed tightly before nodding, his nervousness traveling through their bond, causing Stiles to squeeze his hand reassuringly.

“Now that I know, where do we go from here?” she asked tentatively.

He sighed, rising from his chair to pace, disconnecting the temporary bond. “I can’t claim you, Stiles. I’m not good for you. You deserve so much better than a broken mate. The things I would need from you — I just can’t ask that of you.”

Stiles’ scowl rivalled Derek’s as she crossed her arms over her chest. “Why don’t you let me be the judge of what I can and can’t handle, Peter? Everyone tries to handle me with kid gloves, but you were different. Don’t start now. I’m not some wilting flower that’ll keel over the minute you decide you want to tie me up and spank me. I know you’re a Dom. The fates wouldn’t have been so cruel as to give me anything else for a mate. You know what club I was in when you kissed me. I’m not scared of your needs, Peter, and I’m more than capable of handling them.”

Peter couldn’t help but scoff. “Stiles, I quite remember you crying into my fur while you told me how you were ashamed of the things you allowed him to do to you. You need time to heal, the last thing you need is to jump from one abusive Dom straight into another D/s relationship. ”

Stiles quieted suddenly. Her whole body stilled before she asked softly, “Peter, what would your definition of a good Dom be?”

Peter sighed deeply before sitting down next to his mate. His voice was slightly monotone, as if he was reading from a manual, frustration slowly building as he speaks. “A good Dom has self-control and patience, knows when to be gentle and when to be firm. He knows that his Sub’s submission is a gift, and he treats it as such. He always respects the rules and boundaries set and agreed between them, be it verbal or contract and will know when to push and when to back off. He respects the safeword and knows the importance of aftercare, he knows that communication is the key to a good scene, discussing before and after a scene what worked and what didn’t. “

Peter quickly stood up, pacing, his voice full of passion once he finally spoke up again. “As Dominants, we are one half of a relationship. And just as we expect our subs to be submissive and obedient, we are expected to be responsible and dominant. But we are human too, and will make mistakes. The one important thing that no Dominant should forget is that we ARE human; we make mistakes and WILL make mistakes. We have to have enough trust in our Sub to understand their concerns and listen to them when they raise those concerns. Acknowledging your mistakes and listening to your Sub does not diminish your Dominance. It may bruise some egos, but in the end it makes for a much more fulfilling relationship than the presumption that you are always correct in everything. The learning experience is paramount. We are all Doms. There are no courses for Dominance, no degrees, no ranks for Dominants. We are ALL always learning, Doms and Subs alike.”

He turned towards Stiles, meeting her gaze, imploring for her to understand. “That’s why I can’t do this, Stiles. I can’t screw up and have you become some doormat submissive, wanting to say no but unwilling because of the mate bond. I already lost my wife; if I lost my mate to my own hands it would break me.”

Peter was baffled by the small smile that spread across Stile’s lips. “Peter, that’s exactly why you wouldn’t hurt me. I haven’t spoken about Rafael to anyone but Dad and Talia, and that was only so we could file a case against him. I think it’s time I told you everything that happened between Rafael and me. You need to understand that it’s never been the submission that I was ashamed of.”

He slowly lowered himself into the seat in front of her, carefully keeping away from physical contact, hoping it would help him keep control while she told her story.

Stiles leaned back in her chair, heaving out a breath before beginning. “We’ll start from the very beginning and how I discovered BDSM. It was two years ago. I was away from home and the pack for the first time in my third year of college, and I started off doing the things you would expect: making new friends, going to a lot of parties, drinking copious amounts of alcohol and somehow still managing to get high marks in class. Laura would take trips down and we often went out to the clubs together,  Derek as well. I dated a few people but nothing was ever serious. My roommate Claire and I became really good friends, and she started seeing Marcus, a professor at the college.”

**_Stiles was trying to hold the tears at bay and failing miserably. Lydia, although at MIT, had managed to set her up on a blind date with a guy she knew going to the same college as her. Jake had been a creep from the beginning._ **

 

**_He’d been all hands until she told him that she wasn't ready to go that far. She thought admitting this would make him back down, but it had made him all the more pushy when they got into the parked car at the restaurant at the end of their meal._ **

 

****_He had somehow lowered her seat in a practiced move, pushing his body over hers, hands cupping her breast roughly, ignoring her cries for him to stop until she managed to get enough leverage to punch him in the nose.  
  
_

**_He reared back, ripping her dress as he went, clutching his bleeding nose. “Fucking crazy bitch!”_ **

 

**_Stiles opened the door to the car and quickly got out. “I think this date is over, Jake. You should really learn the definition of no. You would have gotten much fucking worse if you’d managed to rape me, asshole. Did Lydia forget to mention I’m the daughter of a fucking sheriff?”_ **

 

**_He just glared at her before starting the car and driving off, leaving her in the parking lot of a strange restaurant, in a strange city. The pretty dress Lydia had ordered for her date was ripped and hanging against the swell of her breast._ **

 

**_Stiles managed to call for a taxi before tears finally escaped her. She’d never felt so weak and vulnerable in her life. She cried tears of anger, frustration, hurt, and loneliness. She just wanted to have her daddy and her pack there to make her feel safe and strong again, but she couldn’t. This was the first time in her two years of college that homesickness had hit her so hard._ **

 

**_All of these thoughts distracted her through her cab ride back to the apartment complex and through the elevator ride up. It was also why she never noticed the noises coming from the apartment until she stood rooted against the front door she had just shut._ **

 

**_Marcus was sitting on their couch in his work suit, jacket and tie removed, sleeves rolled to show off his muscled forearms. His tie was wrapped around Claire’s wrists, holding them back while she kneeled between Marcus’s legs, sucking his cock while he spanked her with a riding crop, leaving marks on her backside like artwork. Claire whimpered and moaned at each stroke, her pretty pink pussy swollen with arousal._ **

 

**_Marcus was the first to notice her. He quickly grabbed the wolf throw blanket the pack had bought her as a gag gift when she had moved and wrapped Claire into it, covering her before untying her wrists, making sure she was fine before tucking himself back into his own pants. “Stiles, you’re early. I’m sorry you had to walk in on us, we were expecting you home in a few hours.”_ **

 

**_Stiles sniffled lightly, wiping at her wet cheeks. “I’m sorry, I was distracted, and I should have heard the noises. I would have walked away if I had and left you your privacy.”_ **

 

**_They both frowned, noticing her red puffy eyes and ripped dress before Marcus spoke, his voice soft yet brooking no argument. “Stiles, what happened?”_ **

 

 ** _Stiles swallowed tightly, fighting back tears. “My date was getting handsy from the beginning, sliding his hand up my thigh and saying overly sexual things. When we parked in the restaurant’s parking lot he got even pushier. I tried telling him that I wasn’t ready to go that far with him yet_** **, _especially on a first date, and I thought he was going to stop but he somehow got the seat down and got on top of_**   ** _me. His hands were everywhere. I managed to punch him and get out of the car and called a taxi to get back.”_**

 

**_Stiles’ hands shook and she clasped them together, taking in a shuddering breath, a stray tear falling down her cheek._ **

 

**_Marcus patted the cushion beside him. “Stiles, come here. Claire, please go put something on so we don’t make Stiles uncomfortable.”_ **

 

**_Stiles managed to get out a choked laugh that sounded more like a whimper. She sat on the couch while Claire quickly made her way to her bedroom to change._ **

 

**_Marcus opened his arms and she curled into his side, hiding her face in his neck before she let the tears flow once again, while he gently rubbed her back._ **

 

**_She felt Claire’s hand joining Marcus’s, rubbing slow soothing motions against her back until her tears finally abated and she was able to speak._ **

****

**_“I’m not some wilting flower. I don’t know why I’m crying. I broke the guy’s nose. I’ve dealt with much stronger and more dangerous people before.” Stiles licked her lips nervously at the slip before amending, “My dad is the sheriff; I spent a lot of time at the station. It’s just that this was a guy that a friend set me up with, a friend that I trusted. And he made me feel like what I wanted didn’t matter, he made me feel insignificant and small and ashamed. Once I was finally out of the car it hit me how really alone I am in this city and I really just wanted my dad and my friends for comfort and they’re too far for me to reach and it made things even worse.”_ **

**_Marcus tipped her chin up with one finger so their eyes met, before gently wiping the tears from her cheeks with his thumb. “It’s normal for you to feel that way, and it’s okay to cry. It doesn’t make you weak. What he did was wrong and if I could get my hands on him he would’ve gotten much more than a broken nose.”_ **

 

**_Stiles laughed lightly, sniffling._ **

 

**_Marcus smiled and Claire curled closer to Stiles against her back. “I know you’re in a strange city, away from your family and friends for the first time, and it can make you feel vulnerable and lonely. Just know that Claire and I are here if you need us, alright? And if that bastard or anyone else tries something like that again, you come to me. No one has the right to make you feel like that. Your needs should always matter.”_ **

 

**_Stiles smiled and nodded quietly before Marcus pulled her closer again for another embrace, Claire warm against her back. It felt like pack, and it was only then that she realized how much she’d missed pack cuddles._ **

 

**_She looked up at Marcus tentatively. “Can we stay like this for a bit? It’s just, my friends and I always cuddled like this when one of us was upset and I really miss it. We would all pile on top of each other and go to sleep like this, limbs entwined until you woke up in the morning dying of heat.”_ **

 

**_Claire and Marcus both chuckled, tightening their arms around Stiles. “It’s fine Stiles, you can relax. We have you.”_ **

 

**_Stiles slowly calmed, surrounded by the couple, and slumber quickly enveloped her._ **

 

**_After that evening she grew closer to both of them. They sat her down to explain the scene she had walked in on, and Stiles slowly became more and more curious, researching BDSM late at night when everyone was asleep._ **

 

**_It wasn’t until a month later that she had the courage to ask Claire questions about being a submissive. She would answer her questions and Stiles would take everything in for a day or two and return with more questions._ **

 

**_This kept going for two months until one day she walked into her apartment after class to find Claire and Marcus sitting on the sofa waiting for her, dressed to go out._ **

 

**_Marcus got to his feet. “Claire has been telling me that you’ve been asking questions about being a submissive. We thought you might like to join us at the local club if you feel comfortable. Just as a spectator, I assure you.”_ **

 

**_Stiles’ eyes widened in shock. Claire had told her about the exclusive fetish club where she’d met Marcus. “I don’t have anything to wear. All I own are jeans and t-shirts and workout wear. My dress was ripped.”_ **

**_Marcus smiled and Claire smirked smugly. “I sent Claire out to buy you a dress to replace the one that was ruined; it’s on your bed. You don’t have to feel obligated to come. I know you were curious, and this would be a safe environment for you to indulge those curiosities and see if this is what you want.”_ **

 

**_Stiles wanted to, more than anything else. She quickly showered and changed into the pretty blue dress that Claire had bought for her._ **

 

**_Marcus hovered over her the first few visits, making sure she had a wristband clearly stating she was there to watch, not participate. He introduced her to the people he knew, pointed out who to stay clear of and who would potentially be someone that could guide her through her first scenes if she was interested._ **

 

**_It was on Stiles’ first solo visit, and with a wristband indicating that she was open to play, that she bumped into Rafael._ **

 

**_She knew proper protocol was to pretend that they didn’t know each other, but they both stared at each other in surprise before Rafael offered to buy Stiles a drink._ **

 

**_They sat in a secluded corner sipping drinks while Rafael attentively listened to Stiles’ tales of home, antics with Scott and the pack. He would reciprocate by sharing memories he had of her as a child._ **

 

**_“You were a little ruffian, always getting Scott to join in on your crazy adventures. I remember that time when you were six, you decided the neighbor was secretly a drug lord and convinced Scott to climb the fence with you and their Rottweiler bit you.”_ **

 

**_Stiles laughed. “I still have the scar.”_ **

 

**_She showed Rafael her arm and he smiled, sliding a thumb over the faint marks. “Your dad was working and you had to stay over that night. You were so upset not even Scott or Melissa could console you. I had to crawl into bed with you until you fell asleep, your tiny frame curled into my side. Now look at you, all grown up into a beautiful woman.”_ **

 

**_Stiles couldn’t help the blush that crept up her cheeks as he looked her over appreciatively._ **

 

**_Rafael leaned closer until she felt the warmth of his body heat. “I haven’t seen you in here before, Stiles, and I must say I was surprised when I did.”_ **

 

**_She smiled, taking a sip of her drink before speaking. “I’ve been here a few times with my friends Marcus and Claire. They brought me here when I mentioned being curious about BDSM. I’ve just been watching. This is my first time visiting solo and with an available wristband.”_ **

 

**_Rafael nodded at the mention of Marcus, obviously knowing who he was. His eyes darkened at the mention of this being her first solo visit. “Have you ever participated in a scene before, Stiles, or have you only just watched?”_ **

 

**_She blushed wildly again, eyes shifting down in embarrassment. “I’m kind of inexperienced. I know I’m submissive but I’ve never – uh, well, it’s my first time in a scene.”_ **

 

**_She heard Rafael’s intake of breath, could feel his eyes on her, even as she kept hers downcast. “Are you sure you’re ready yet? Your first scene can be a little overwhelming. It should be with someone you trust enough to let go and push your limits.”_ **

 

**_Looking back, she could see this was the first of many manipulations Rafael used against her — carefully choosing his words to remind her that he was someone she had trusted once. He had tended scraped knees and wiped tears from her eyes. When she was five she had told him she would marry him when she grew up. Melissa laughingly explained to her that he couldn’t marry her because he was already married to Melissa._ **

 

**_She was in a strange city where she often felt alone; he was a memory of home. and she was so very lonely. It left her vulnerable enough to ignore the memory how hurt Scott was when Rafael had left, and how hard the aftermath had been. All she thought of were the happy memories._ **

 

**_She licked her lips nervously. “I know this is what I want. I always gravitated towards erotica and porn that had a rougher edge to it. Accidentally walking in on Marcus and Claire just cemented it, and visiting the club made me completely sure that this is what I want.  I do want there to be trust there. At the same time, it’s not like many people have shown interest, in high school or even now. I`m not a virgin, but it`s not like I ha_ ** **_ve_ ** **_people knocking at my door either_. _”_**

 

**_Rafael grasped Stiles’ chin in his hand, making her meet his fierce gaze. “They are idiots, all of them. You’ve grown into a breathtakingly beautiful young woman. Anyone would be blessed to even get a taste of you.”_ **

 

**_Stiles gasped at Rafael’s words before breaking the distance between them in a moment of impulse, her lips meeting his before she pulled away, realizing what she’d done. “I’m so sorry, Mr. McCall; I don’t know why I did that.”_ **

 

**_Rafael smiled. “It’s all right, Stiles. I have no qualms about being kissed by a beautiful woman.”_ **

 

**_Stiles took a deep breath before meeting Rafael’s gaze. “Would you be willing? To be my first, I mean.”_ **

 

**_His eyes grew dark as he leaned forward, claiming her lips hungrily and leaving her breathless. “There’s nothing I’d want more, Stiles.”_ **

 

**_That was how Stiles found herself slowly manipulated into a relationship by Rafael._ **

**_They started out meeting once or twice a week at the club. It was two months into their arrangement before Marcus finally found out who her mysterious Dom was. He tried to convince her to explore with other Doms, that there was something not quite right about Rafael, but Stiles didn’t listen. She just kissed his cheek and smiled, letting him know she had everything under control._ **

 

**_Then she came back from visiting her family and pack during Christmas break. Rafael wrapped his arms around her once she was finally out of sub space, his cheek gently rubbing against her forehead, and asked her to take their relationship a step further and take things outside of the club._ **

 

**_It wasn’t long before her pack and family knew she was seeing someone, nosy as they were. She knew that most of her family, especially Scott, would never understand if they knew, which_ **

**_was one of the reasons she slowly started pushing them away, talking to them less and less._ **

 

**_Rafael was supportive of her decision, agreeing that her family would most likely not understand her need to be in a relationship with someone her father’s age, even without the BDSM aspect, and that it would most likely crush Scott._ **

 

**_That summer she decided against going home and Rafael asked her to move in._ **

 

**_The pack and her father were against it, begging her to come home for the summer, but she held firm. She wanted to stay with her boyfriend, wanted to avoid the drama she knew would enfold if they found out who he was._ **

 

**_This was how she ended up moving in with Rafael without telling her friends and family back home. It was also how she found herself answering the door in nothing but one of Rafael’s shirts one morning to the entire pack at her doorstep._ **

 

**_She stood there in shock as they each fought for their turn to hug her. Talia, Scott, Derek, Cora, Laura… Even Jackson, Danny, and Lydia had made it up for the surprise trip._ **

 

**_She managed to hold back her panic until she heard Rafael’s steps in the hallway. “Stiles, who’s at the door?”_ **

 

**_She turned and watched as if in slow motion as Rafael appeared, bare-chested and in a pair of low hung sleep pants, cup of coffee in hand._ **

 

**_Scott inhaled loudly and Stiles flinched away from the noise. “Dad?”_ **

 

**_Rafael’s steps faltered and he stood quietly staring at his son. “Scott.”_ **

 

**_Scott looked between Rafael and Stiles, finally noticing the bruises on her neck, some healing, some fresh from last night. He could smell him on her and his nose wrinkled. “My Dad, Stiles!? That’s who you’ve been dating? What the hell are you thinking!?”_ **

 

**_Stiles flinched back at Scott’s glare, and she felt Rafael’s hand touch her back soothingly, calming her. “I’m sorry, Scott. I knew you wouldn’t understand, that’s why I didn’t come back for the summer. I just didn’t know how to explain.”_ **

 

**_Scott snarled. “Explain what? How you’re fucking my dad, who ran off on me years ago? The same one you spent countless hours listening to me cry over? Explain that to me, Stiles. How could you do that to your own best friend?”_ **

 

**_She bit her lip, knowing nothing she could say would make it better. He would never understand that Rafael made her happy, that he fulfilled needs that for her that no one else could._ **

**_He made her feel beautiful and wanted, and for the first time in her life a sexual being worthy of attention._ **

 

**_Rafael stepped in front of Stiles while Talia came forward, cutting Scott off before he could say anything else. “Cora, take Scott to the car and stay with him.”_ **

 

**_She stepped forward, extending her hand to Rafael. “My name is Talia; this is my daughter Laura and my son Derek. This is Lydia and her boyfriend Jackson and his best friend Danny. We are all friends of Stiles, and we apologize for the intrusion. We had planned to surprise Stiles, but when we arrived at her apartment we were told that she had moved in with her boyfriend without making anyone back home aware.”_ **

 

**_Stiles flinched once more, curling herself up, properly chastised._ **

 

**_Rafael clasped Talia’s hand, shaking it. “It’s nice to finally meet Stiles’ friends. I’ve heard a lot about all of you.”_ **

 

**_Talia smiled and Stiles could see the steel behind it before she met Stiles’ eyes. “Not too much, I hope.”_ **

 

**_Stiles frowned and shook her head. Rafael laughed, clearly missing the veiled threat, which made Stiles frown even more. The man was an FBI agent — he should have better survival instincts._ **

 

**_When they released hands Talia quickly got down to business, manners completely polished from years of pack negotiations. “Is there a room where we could speak to Stiles in private, if you please?”_ **

 

**_He led them to his office, kissing Stiles’ cheek and letting her know he would be in the kitchen when she needed him. When the door clicked shut they turned on her, Lydia the first to speak._ **

 

**_“Scott’s father, Stiles? Really? Why couldn’t you go for someone like the guys I set you up with? Jake was a nice guy.”_ **

 

**_Stiles glared at Lydia before snapping, “Nice guy? Really, Lydia? He was such a gentlemen when he had his hands all over me and when I told him I no he tried to take it by force. I had to break his nose and he ripped the dress you bought me in the process. So I’m sorry if I won’t be using your taste in men as a consideration. I don’t go for rapists.”_ **

 

**_Everyone stiffened, the wolves growling gutturally._ **

 

**_Jackson wrapped his arms around Lydia where she stood, trembling. “Why didn't you tell me?”_ **

 

**_Stiles sighed deeply. “Because I dealt with it by breaking his nose. I didn't want to deal with any more drama, which is the same reason I didn't talk about Rafael.”_ **

 

**_Derek grasped her arm, growling. “Stiles, I can smell bruises on you.”_ **

 

**_Stiles stiffened, refusing to drop her gaze even as she blushed. “Yes, Derek, I have bruises. But they’re not anything I didn't ask for. I’m not being abused, if that’s what you’re thinking.”_ **

 

**_Derek opened his mouth to argue but Talia interrupted him. “We just want you to be happy, Stiles. If Rafael is what makes you happy then as Alpha I won’t forbid you your relationship. But think closely about what you are getting in this relationship versus what you might be losing.” She wrapped her arms around Stiles, giving her a tight hug. “I hope you know I’ll have to make your father aware of your address change and your relationship.”_ **

 

**_Stiles sighed deeply, nodding, knowing there was nothing she could do against her alpha._ **

 

**_Talia turned to the pack and ushered them out. “Everyone back to the car. Scott needs pack right now. Stiles, give us some time to calm him down, and then we’ll be expecting you to come dine with us. For Scott’s sake it might be better to leave your significant other at home.”_ **

 

**_The pack stayed for a week in the nearest hotel. It was awkward, the conversation either stilted or breaking out into heated arguments. Scott still refused to speak to her, and her goodbyes with the pack were rushed, everyone clearly uncomfortable._ **

 

**_When they left she curled up in Rafael’s arms and cried, feeling like she had lost her pack. It was that evening that Rafael proposed to her. She’d just come down from subspace, curled up in his arms after a particularly heavy scene. The ring was beautiful and she quickly agreed, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him gently. He had also bought her a beautiful etched-silver collar, asking her to be his not only his wife but his slave, which he stated to him was an even bigger commitment than her becoming his wife. With happy tears she allowed him to snap the collar around her neck, feeling blissfully happy._ **

 

**_A few days later she received the call she’d been dreading since the pack had visited. Her father called, clearly holding back his anger. “Stiles, Talia told me you've moved.”_ **

 

**_Stiles bit back a groan. “Yeah Dad, I decided to move in with my fiancé.”_ **

 

**_There was silence on the line for a moment before her father exploded. “FIANC_ ** **_É_ ** **_!? Stiles, have you lost your mind? Not only is he my age but he’s your best friend’s dad, the same one who walked out on him when he was a kid and has never given him the time of day since.”_ **

 

**_The phone was wrenched from his hand and Melissa came on the line. “Stiles, honey. There are things about Rafael you need to know that you might have been too young to realize when he was in our lives. Rafael was very manipulative, and he was very abusive when he drank. He never did anything towards Scott until the night I kicked him out; he was drunk and Scott heard us fighting and came out to investigate. Raf pushed Scott and he fell down the stairs. He blacked out and doesn't remember a thing, but that was the last time I ever allowed Raf near Scott.”_ **

 

**_Stiles sighed deeply. “Look, I know. Rafael told me all about it, but he’s clean now, he’s been sober since the incident. It doesn't change my feelings. We love each other and we’re getting married. I just guess it’s more than I could expect to have my family and friends’ blessings. Goodbye, Melissa. Tell dad he shouldn't call for a while, he needs to cool off and I don’t want him to say anything he’ll regret.”_ **

 

**_Stiles hung up, tears falling down her cheeks. Rafael was there, arms wrapped around her, licking and kissing them from her cheeks as they fell._ **

 

**_They were married a month later in a small ceremony, with two of Rafael’s co-workers as witnesses. It was simple and quick; Stiles wore a pretty white dress that Rafael had bought for her, asking her to leave her long hair down for him, just like he liked it._ **

 

**_They lived happily married for a month before the first fight happened. Stiles and Rafael had attended Marcus and Claire’s wedding reception and Rafael had drunk champagne. Stiles had argued with Rafael that he shouldn't be drinking, not with having been sober for so long, and Rafael struck her cheek, asking her who she thought she was to tell him what he could or couldn't do._ **

 

**_Stiles just clutched at her cheek and stared back at Rafael, shocked tears falling. Rafael crumbled at her side, clutching her face gently, looking crushed. He apologized, gently kissing the tears from her eyes, telling her how sorry he was and that it would never happen again._ **

 

**_Stiles told herself she had withstood more pain in one of their scene,s and he was really sorry for striking her. It wouldn't happen again._ **

 

**_And yet it did._ **

 

**_The second time was just after she had agreed to move to Washington, where Rafael had been transferred. They were unpacking, and Stiles had somehow lost a whole box of plates. In a fit of rage Rafael had thrown a vase against the wall, one of the glass shards embedding into the skin behind her ear. She still had the scar._ **

 

**_Rafael had apologized, saying he was so tired he had just lost his temper. Stiles had somehow forgiven him. She kept forgiving him each time he struck her for the next eight months until Rafael did one thing that she could never forgive. During one of their scenes she had called out her safeword when his caning was too much for her. He ignored her, striking until blood was dripping down her buttock and then fucking her, hand wrapped around her throat, cutting off airflow until she lost consciousness._ **

 

**_Rafael begged her forgiveness after the incident and she tearfully accepted, all the while planning what she needed to do to get away._ **

 

**_She’d heard many a night of drunken talks that Rafael had with other FBI agents and some shady characters that Stiles was almost sure were some kind of Russian mafia. She knew Rafael was a dirty cop, and the only chance she had of getting away from him was to get enough proof to get him put behind bars. She had one thing going for her — Rafael thought that she was stupid, just the clumsy ADHD girl that he remembered as a little girl. Even now he still just saw what he wanted. He had never seen the whole picture._ **

 

**_She remembered what Marcus had said. No one had the right to make her feel helpless, like she didn't matter._ **

 

**_Her first step was to invest in multiple USB flash drives that she bought with cash at a drugstore while she was buying pads and shampoo, refusing the receipt. Each night when Rafael fell asleep, heart beating out of her chest, she used the hacking skills she’d learned from Danny and slowly compiled information from documents, banking information, and transfers. She managed to take a few photos of some of the people that had visited while pretending to text, and managed to record a few conversations. Everything was saved on each of the flash drives that she had stashed in multiple areas outside of the house: at the dance studio she frequented, inside a loose brick down the street, and other locations._ **

 

**_Stiles’ nerves had become so wracked from lack of sleep she’d burned the meatloaf. Rafael had beaten her until she could taste blood in her mouth, one of her eyes was swollen shut, she was sure one of her ribs was cracked, and she might have a sustained a broken wrist._ **

****

**_When Rafael left to go to the bar, she tightly wrapped her wrist with an ACE bandage and grabbed her jacket. She got outside and grabbed the cash reserve she’d managed to hide from Rafael under the patio. It was money she’d made giving dance lessons at the gym where she spent most of her time. He believed that she volunteered, since she was paid under the table. She quickly made her way to her first flash drive stash, behind a loose brick, and made her way to the Jeep, checking it for any bugs before hopping in and driving out of town. Her heart raced and she jumped at every black SUV she saw. She knew that she should dump her Jeep, it was too recognizable, but the idea broke her heart. So instead she stopped and swapped license plates when she was out of town._ **

 

**_She only stopped once, to sleep at the sleaziest motel she could find. There she might have had a minor panic attack, and in a last-ditch attempt to try to regain control over a life she felt was spiraling out of her control, she shaved her head, watching the long locks of hair that Rafael had adored fall to the floor._ **

 

**_It was five in the morning when Stiles made it to the Hale house. She knocked on the door hesitantly, biting back a whimper at the thought of them turning her away. Talia opened the door, took one look at Stiles and opened her arms while Stiles cried and wrapped herself around her Alpha, feeling safe for the first time in a long, long time._ **

 

**_She heard shuffling from the living room and a sleepy Derek calling out, “Is everything all right, Mom?” He froze, eyes falling on the huddled form in Talia’s arms, with her hair shaved and her face bruised and swollen and her scent so filled with fear and pain it took him few moments to realize who was staring back at him. When he did, he whimpered. “Stiles?”_ **

 

**_There was more movement from the living room and it dawned on Stiles that it must have been pack night as she watched her pack appear into the hallway: Cora, Laura, Scott, Allison, Lydia, Jackson and Danny. She clutched Talia, trying to hide herself from them in shame, hissing at the pain in her ribs. The wolves all whined at the sight of their pack mate in pain, and took a step forward, wanting to ease it._ **

 

**_Talia growled a warning before pulling back to inspect Stiles. “We should get you to the hospital. You might have broken ribs, and that wrist should be looked after. How did you manage to drive all the way here like this? One of your eyes is swollen shut and your wrist looks broken!”_ **

 

**_Stiles shook her head. “I can’t go to the hospital; he’ll know I’m there as soon as I’m put into the_ ** **_system. Please don’t take me to the hospital!”_ **

 

**_Talia went deathly still. “Stiles, did Rafael do this to you?”_ **

 

**_Stiles nodded slowly, hiccupping out between sniffles, “I-I’d been trying so hard to keep quiet, to get enough evidence so I could get away from him a-after he nearly s-suffocated me to death. I haven't been sleeping well at night. I was hacking his computer when he was asleep, a little at a time, to get enough proof before I could get away. I just got so tired and my nerves were so wracked and he stopped letting me take my Adderall and I burnt the meatloaf when he got home from work and he just started to h-hit me and when I fell he k-kicked me, telling me to get up, but when I couldn't he finally gave up. When he left for the bar I grabbed a stash of money and the flash drive I had hidden and drove out of town as fast as I could.”_ **

 

**_All of the wolves were growling by this point, eyes flashing as they tried to rein in their rage._ **

**_Talia remained silent, her eyes flashing red, the only sign that her control might be at risk. “Alright Stiles, no hospital. We’ll take you to Deaton’s in the morning; right now I’ll call your father and Melissa. She can look you over and he and I will be taking your statement. After that you’ll be having some much-needed sleep. Until then, Derek, take Stiles to the kitchen and get her something to eat, would you?”_ **

 

**_Stiles reluctantly let go of her Alpha and let Derek guide her to the kitchen, his hand sliding underneath her shirt to remove some of the pain from her broken ribs, allowing her to sigh in relief. The rest of the pack hovered over her, desperately wanting to ease her pain. She finally sighed and allowed the pack to gently wrap their arms around her, scent-marking her and welcoming her back home, small whimpers showing their distress._ **

 

**_Derek made her grilled cheese sandwiches and she bit back a moan at how good they tasted. She couldn't remember the last time she had eaten._ **

****

**_She finished eating her sandwiches just as her father and Melissa came into the room. He took one look at her face and his gaze turned dark as thunderclouds, causing Stiles to flinch before he caught himself and wrapped his arms around her. “I’m going to kill him for this. When I’m done with him they won’t ever be able to find a body.”_ **

 

**_Stiles’ ribs protested the embrace, but she didn't care. She was in her daddy’s arms and she had missed him so much. When they finally separated, Melissa gave her a teary-eyed once-over. “Oh honey, I’m so sorry he did this to you.”_ **

 

**_Stiles wrapped Melissa into a hug. “It’s not your fault. You warned me, I didn't listen.”_ **

 

**_Melissa squeezed her back gently. “That doesn't mean I wanted to be right.”_ **

 

**_They separated and Melissa brought her into a private room to photograph each and every bruise and laceration and scar she had on her body. The cane welts on her buttock were still scabs, the bruises around her throat just now a yellow tinge with darker hickeys on top. She had criss-crossed whip and cane marks all over her back and thighs, and her ribs were already bruising in the shape of Rafael’s foot._ **

 

**_When Melissa was done, she told Stiles she could put her clothes back on and walked out of the room, running to the bathroom and throwing up._ **

 

**_Once her clothes were back on, Stiles was brought to Talia’s study, where they closed the door to give her privacy. Talia and the Sheriff took her statement and she told them about everything from the first time Rafael hit her to the last, including his ignoring her safeword and nearly suffocating her. She gave her father the flash drive with the evidence that Rafael had been embezzling while helping the Russian mafia._ **

 

**_It was the sheriff’s turn to run to the bathroom to throw up while Talia made her way to the woods, needing to run off her rage._ **

 

**_The pack was in the living room waiting for her when she was done. Needing sleep, she quickly climbed onto the large air mattress in the middle and let the rest of the pack gently curl around her, the wolves taking turns sliding a hand against her ribs to drain some of the pain away. For the first time in months, Stiles slept deeply and without fear._ **

 

**_Her father and Talia brought a copy of all the evidence they had to the FBI, hoping to get Rafael arrested as soon as possible. Unfortunately, when they sent a unit to arrest him, Rafael managed to evade them and went missing._ **

 

**_And that was how Talia had decided to send Stiles to Canada._ **

Stiles sighed deeply, emotionally exhausted. “So do you see now, Peter? It was never about the domination. I was ashamed that he manipulated me into pushing everyone I cared about away. I was ashamed that I allowed myself to make excuses for him when he abused me. But the minute he ignored my safeword and moved the abuse to a scene was the minute it went too far for me.”

Peter’s growls were deep, his eyes flashing electric blue. “You do realize I WILL be the one to kill him and when I do he will wish he had never laid a single hand on you.”

Stiles laughed gently. “And I believe you, Peter.”

Peter sighed deeply. “Can we take this slow? I don’t want to push you, Stiles. Not after everything you've been through. I can’t claim you. Not until I know that you really are ready.”

Stiles frowned. “Peter, would you ever hit me, outside of a scene?”

Peter’s eyes flashed blue in rage. “I’d sooner cut my own hand off.”

She looked back at him fiercely. “And would you ever ignore my safeword?”

He stared back at her just as fiercely. “Never.”

Stiles rose, flinging her arms in the air as she paced. “Then you’re nothing like him, Peter! You’re my true mate, and I can understand you needing time for yourself, but if you’re being a martyr because you think that I’m too fragile or emotionally unstable to know what I want and need both sexually and in a mate you are completely wrong and I will eventually prove it to you. I might be a submissive, but that doesn't mean I will lie down and allow you to cheat us both out of a mating that we deserve.”

Peter opened his mouth to argue and she pointed at him to shut it. “You’ll have it your way for now. We’ll take things slow, get to know each other as proper mates. I’ll get to know you not as Peter OR Big Bad but as one and the same. You will not run away from me in human form or so help me god I won’t bake any sweets for you until you come to your senses, got it?”

Peter swallowed tightly and just nodded at his mate, wondering if he should feel afraid or aroused at this very moment.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A yelp could be heard before Peter yelled once again. “Goddammit Stiles, I can dress myself! And those pants are too tight; they’re not going to fit.”
> 
> Stiles yelled back, “I don’t trust you not to shred your costume! And those pants are going to fit you like a glove. Your ass will look amazing.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 12/08/2014 - Officially Betad by my AWESOME BADASS Beta Bitchinachinashop!!
> 
> \--------------------------------------
> 
> *new update* Oh my god guys! I am so sorry for whoever read this chapter before today(The 13th of June). I was too worried about running out of Data and I didn't re-read it. I always pull crap like this when writing at five in the morning please forgive me. I fixed the majority of it. Still desperately need a Beta though. I know I have run on sentences, phrases that could be changed to flow better and grammatical errors. The curse of being french I guess, sometimes I know they are there I just don't know how to fix them. Thats why a Beta helps so much.
> 
> So this chapter is being loaded and might make slight changes once I get a message back from my lovely cheerleader FaeryCastle. Im about to run out of Data so I just wanted to get it loaded before then.

[Chapter 8](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1328809/chapters/3806230)

 

The next morning, Stiles found herself woken up by a loud knock at her front door and the dogs barreling down the stairs, barks way too loud for six in the morning. Whoever was at the door was going to die.

She grabbed the satin robe Laura had bought her a few shopping trips back and slowly made her way down the stairs, opening the door with a glare, not even caring who it was by this point. “What do you want?”

Peter chuckled, handing over a steaming Tim Horton’s coffee cup and a bag with what smelled like her favorite breakfast sandwich on a cheese croissant. “Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. I have a surprise for you. Get dressed.”

Stiles scowled at him. “Peter, if this relationship is going to work, you are going to have to learn that I do not do well with being woken up in the morning. Yesterday was different because I got to wake up naturally and had already snuck down for some coffee. ”

Peter beamed at her, completely unrepentant. “Hence the coffee and sandwich, Stiles. Now drink up, get dressed, and I can buy you a second cup of coffee on the way. This surprise is worth the six a.m. wake-up call, I assure you.”

Stiles grumbled before taking a sip of her coffee and letting out a groan. She turned to look at him, trying to stay cross even though she was failing. It just wasn’t in her nature to be a mean person. “It better be.”

Peter chuckled at her retreating back while she went upstairs to change into a pair of shorts and a pastel blue tank top that read: “I am female therefore I am Iron Man.”

She let the dogs out to do their business and then fed them. Once she was done, she finally sat down and ate her sandwich. Peter calmly waited for her to finish, Esme sitting in his lap and Henry sitting next to him while he stroked his neck.

Stiles sighed deeply. “I’m really glad they like you. They didn’t take very well to the pack when I first adopted them.”

Peter raised a brow questioningly. “This sounds like a story I’d love to hear.”

Stiles chuckled. “I got them not long after I came back to Beacon Hills. I often went to visit Scott at Dr. Deaton’s clinic. That day, Dad came in with the SPCA representative. I could tell by his face that whatever he had seen hadn’t been good. That’s when they started unloading the crates. They had just seized dogs from a puppy mill. There were so many dogs, all small breeds — mainly Chihuahuas, but there were a few Shitzus and Poodles.  I stayed and helped Dr. Deaton and Scott with the checkups and restraining; they were all terrified. Most of them had lived their whole lives in these tiny cages.”

Stiles breath shuddered at the memory. “Then I saw Henry and Esme. They were these two horribly overgrown and matted poodles. Their coats were so matted it was all felted. When Deaton tried to take Henry away from Esme for the checkup she started to howl and scream like we were physically hurting her. I had to hold her next to Henry while they checked both of them out. I had to do the same when the groomer arrived to de-matt the dogs. It was amazing to see all the fur disappear and under all that woolly, matted fur were these two beautiful dogs staring back at me with such sad eyes. All I could think about was how the SPCA was going to separate them and I just couldn’t stand the thought of that happening. So I begged Dad and Dr. Deaton to let me adopt them. The SPCA attendant had no problems with it since they obviously would do much better staying together and most people don’t want to adopt multiple dogs.”

Stiles gave Peter an impish grin. “The adoption process was quick since my two references were on-site, and Deaton had adoption forms on hand since he often had one or two special needs dogs or cats at the clinic for them. I was living with the pack, so I called Talia to get permission from her since they would be living at the house and that was that.”

“I made a quick stop to the pet store and picked up everything I needed and then went back to Deaton’s clinic, picked up the dogs and then drove back to the house. We set them up in a spare room and so as to not overwhelm them we decided to do introductions the next day. It didn’t go so well. They took to me really fast but wanted nothing to do with the rest of the pack. Henry actually bit Talia the first time she tried to do the whole alpha eye-stare thing and reached out to pet him. It took them a week to settle down and accept the pack. It really helped though, especially with house training, since they were pretty much trained to go wherever they wanted to and it’s hard to train that out of older dogs. “

Peter chuckled and gave Henry a scratch behind the ear, mumbling to him that he was a good dog before checking the time and getting to his feet. “We need to get going now or we’ll be late.”

Stiles got up and followed him out to the car before asking, “So where are we going?”

Peter smirked. “You’ll see, it’s a surprise.”

They drove for an hour before reaching the city and parking in front of a vet clinic, much to Stiles’ confusion.

Peter refused to say anything; he just got out of the car and came over to Stiles’ side to open her door like a gentleman, a slightly gleeful expression on his face, obviously excited to show her his surprise.

When they walked into the clinic a woman with long black hair tied back in a bun and dressed in a slate grey business suit approached. “I’m assuming you’re Peter?”

Peter nodded and extending his hand; she smiles as they shook hands. “It’s nice to meet you in person. I have all the paperwork ready, and Dr. Comeau can give you more details on how the surgery went.”

She turned to Stiles, smiling even wider. “And you must be Stiles. I’m Paulette, Executive Director of the Langford SPCA.”

Stiles shook hands with Paulette, still rather confused. “Nice to meet you, Paulette. Peter brought me here but didn’t tell me why, only that he had a surprise.”

Paulette laughed, Peter alongside her. “He said he was keeping it a surprise. He said you had shown interest in adopting Leroy the Golden Retriever, yes?”

Stiles eyes widened as she nodded, looking between Peter and Paulette, waiting for more of an explanation. Paulette grinned. “Peter emailed me, making the generous offer of paying for Leroy’s full surgery and for the special equipment he would need to live a comfortable life in exchange for you getting the chance to adopt him if you meet the criteria set in place by the SPCA.”

Stiles jaw dropped open, and she turned to Peter in astonishment. “We’re here to meet Leroy? I get to adopt him?”

They both grinned back at her, nodding, before Paulette added, “He just went through surgery and is awake in the back room. Peter agreed to meet here for you to sign the adoption application and for him to make his payment. Dr. Comeau can give you the details on how his surgery went while you go meet Leroy, if you like.”

Stiles quickly filled out the adoption form, putting Derek and Erica as her references and Dr. Deaton as her vet. She texted Derek to ask him to contact Deaton and let him know to be expecting a call and under what name the reference would be.

She watched in astonishment as Peter paid the extremely large vet bill without batting an eyelash.

Once that was done, Doctor Comeau — a warm, vibrant, chubby woman — ushered them to the back all the while letting them know about Leroy’s surgery. “Everything went fine. He should recover well, and hopefully with no complications. He’ll need to stay in the clinic for at least another week, which is good because his wheelchair hasn’t come in yet.”

And then there he was. Doctor Comeau let them in with a smile. “I’ll leave you to get acquainted. I’ll be in the front if you need me.”

Stiles slowly made her way to the large mound of blankets they’d settled on the floor to rest Leroy on for his recovery and gently lowered herself next to him.

He looked back at her with his big soulful eyes and batted his tail against the blankets when she curled her fingers into his fur at his neck, gently stroking him. It was love at first sight.

Stiles looked up at Peter and reached out her hand for him to touch. “I can’t find the right words, so let me show you.”

He sat down in front of them and took her hand into his gently. She felt their connection open up, felt his need to please her, his awe at the wonder and thankfulness she exuded and the love that she had for both Leroy and for him.

She gave him a small smile before looking down at Leroy. “He’s like our first pup together, if you think on it.”

She gasped as she felt the wave of arousal and need that overwhelmed Peter at her words before he took his hand away.

He swallowed tightly before they finally met each other’s eyes once more. “Do you? Want cubs I mean, one day. You’re still young, and I know how a lot of people these days don’t want any.”

Stiles was nearly breathless, visualizing her belly getting swollen with Peter’s child. There was nothing she would love more. “You’re right, I am still young. But I’ve always wanted kids, and the idea of having yours is something I want more than anything. Not now, mind you, but one day.”

Peter smiled gently, a far off look on his face, before getting up and heading for the door. “I’ll leave you two to bond for a bit. I’ll be waiting out front.”

Stiles nodded. Giving him his space, she stayed for half an hour, stroking Leroy’s fur and talking to him as he gently thumped his tail. The veterinary technicians came in to check his bandages once and gave her details on how his stay at the clinic had been since his rescue. Even with the abuse, Leroy was a loving dog who liked nothing more than attention.

When they finally left, sliding into Peter’s car, Stiles took her iPod out and raised an eyebrow at Peter. He nodded in acquiescence, and she plugged it in and put it on random.

When the flute started and then a flowing operatic voice, Peter raised an eyebrow. “ _Fifth Element_ , Stiles? Really?”

Stiles was pleased that Peter knew the song but still pretended to glare at him, pointing a finger. “Don’t you dare diss Sarah Brightman, let alone _Fifth Element_!”

Peter laughed. “I’m doing no such thing. I happen to like opera, and _The Fifth Element_ is a great sci-fi film.”

Stiles decided to press her luck, wondering how far she could push Peter’s generosity today. “Well, that’s good, because there’s a sci-fi convention coming up in a month. Erica told me about it. I was thinking that I could cosplay Leeloo and you could cosplay Korben Dallas. You’d make a hot Korben!”

Peter frowned. “I’m not cosplaying, Stiles.”

Stiles turned her body so she was facing Peter as he drove. “Come on, Peter. I’ve always wanted to do a couples cosplay. I have so many friends that do it and it looks like so much fun. And you’d get to see me dressed in that sexy orange outfit that Leeloo wears. Please, Peter?”

Peter sighed deeply. “You really want to do it that badly?”

Stiles nodded. “More than anything. You have no idea how much. I would’ve asked Derek but I’d much rather dress up with my mate. And we’re getting to know each other, and this is one of the things I enjoy doing, so it would be nice for you to experience it.”

Peter sighed, clearly hearing how her heart remained even while she spoke. “Fine, I’ll do it. Just make sure I don’t look ridiculous. I’m in your hands.”

Stiles smiled warmly at him when he met her eyes and nodded.

 

~*~

A month passed in relative peace and quiet. Cora found herself on the phone with her mother the morning of the convention. She was already dressed in her flight attendant costume from _The Fifth Element_ , updating her mother on how things were going, when Stiles’ voice could be heard screaming from Peter’s bedroom. “For the last time, Peter, take your fucking shirt off!”

Talia cut herself off mid-sentence as the arguing continued with Peter yelling back. “Stiles, take your hands off of me, I am not wearing that travesty of a tank top! It’s neon orange for god sakes!”

Stiles growled, very wolf-like, before yelling back, “You’re wearing the shirt, dammit! I need my Korben!”

Peter whined. “Why can’t Derek be Korben.”

A soft chuckle could be heard from Stiles. “Because I already have a costume picked out for Derek to match ours. Now drop your pants.”

A yelp could be heard before Peter yelled once again. “Goddammit Stiles, I can dress myself! And those pants are too tight; they’re not going to fit.”

Stiles yelled back, “I don’t trust you not to shred your costume! And those pants are going to fit you like a glove. Your ass will look amazing.”

Talia cleared her throat in Cora’s ear before finally speaking. “What just happened?”

Cora couldn’t stifle a helpless giggled before she blurted out, “Stiles somehow managed Peter to dress up in costume with us for the sci-fi convention we’re going to. He’s going as Korben Dallas from _The Fifth Element_ and Stiles is going as Leeloo.”

Talia made a slightly strangled noise on the line. “Peter, my brother, is dressing up in a costume to go to a convention.”

Cora laughed, slightly nervous, trying to find the right words without slipping up to her mother. “Yeah well, you know how Stiles is. She had Peter wrapped around her little finger as soon as she moved over here. He’s kind of her favorite, believe it or not, and she’s a good influence on him.”

Talia was silent as she reflected on this information.

Stiles and Peter came out of the room all dressed and ready to go: Stiles in her bright orange wig, gold pants, and white top, with her stomach bare. Orange silicone hugged her shoulders and made a V to her crotch. She clutched her Multipass in one hand and a jacket and black garment bag in the other. Peter was wearing the tightest black pants ever to be seen, with a snug neon orange wife-beater, holding a very movie-accurate gun.

Derek was bent over, laughing loudly. “Peter, you look ridiculous.”

Stiles smirked. “He looks hot, too bad he gets to wear another layer over it.”

Stiles passed Peter the jacket, which covered everything but the neck of the tank top and just showed a line of orange where the sides opened slightly. Peter sighed. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner? This isn’t nearly as bad with the jacket covering it.”

Stiles chuckled. “It’s just fun to get a rise out of you.”

Stiles grabbed a black garment bag and passed it to Derek with an evil smile. “This is your costume, Derek. I suggest you put it on now, time’s a-wasting.”

Derek unzipped the bag and his face contorted into absolute horror at the leopard print. “Stiles, I am NOT dressing up as Ruby Rhod!”

Peter and Stiles both looked at each other before turning to Derek, grinning evilly, and speaking in unison. “Put the suit on, Derek.”

Cora burst out laughing, and even Talia made a choking noise on the line that sounded suspiciously like her fighting off laughter. “Mom, I got to let you go. They might need help getting Derek in that costume.”

They did finally manage to get Derek into the costume, with much complaining, and made it to the convention. Cora will never admit to loving every second of it, but she did.

She is, after all, Stiles’ closet geek.

~*~

Stiles was frustrated. It had been two months since the wolfsbane incident and things were going well. Peter was attentive, he bought her gifts, took her out to eat. They had gone out with the drag queens from the bar a few times and they had all become good friends.

Leroy had come to live with them and was recovering by leaps and bounds, easily getting around with the wheels strapped to him. They were working him up to running with the pack and he was quickly on his way to it. Henry and Esme had warmed up to him and they all played together constantly.

They still went on their daily runs, snuggled up together when they were done. They had late-night movie marathons and texted even more than they used to.

That was why when Erica came over and sat down after another burlesque practice, bumping Stiles’ hip with her own, Stiles sighed one time too many and Erica finally caved. “Okay Stiles, what’s wrong?”

Stiles met Erica’s gaze solemnly. “Am I not attractive? Is there something wrong with me?”

Erica’s eyes widened in shock and she managed to reply awkwardly, “Uh, no Stiles, you’re very attractive. Why the sudden lack of self-confidence?”

Stiles hung her head with an overly dramatic sigh before she rose to her feet and started to pace, ranting. “It’s been two months since the whole wolfsbane incident, and other than a kiss to my forehead, nothing, nada, zilch. I’m a woman, I have needs! And I know we’re compatible. That time at the bar was super-hot, I mean off the scale. We agreed to take things slow, but it’s been _two months_. Everything else is perfect. We get along, we snark, even our fights are amazing. I can’t believe I’d ever be with someone I enjoy goading into an argument as much as I do with Peter. Goddammit Erica, if he doesn’t put his hands on me soon I’m going to explode! Help a woman out, I don’t know what to do. ”

Erica bit her lip to fight off a laugh before finally speaking. “Well if he doesn’t put his hands on you after the burlesque show you might consider having him neutered since there’s obviously be something wrong with him. But until then, try appealing to his wolf as well as the man.”

Stiles quickly sat down next to Erica, eyes eager and for once staying silent, waiting for more information.

Erica chuckled and clapped Stiles on the back. “Come on, this calls for alcohol and Boyd is manning the bar tonight.”

~*~

Peter was going to lose his mind, or his self-control — he wasn’t sure which was going to snap first.

It had started in small increments. Stiles’ running clothes seemed to shrink slowly every time they went for their daily runs. Yesterday she had been running with him in the woods with a pair of what could only be called underwear. They were bottoms he had often seen her wearing when she was doing pole dancing, usually with nude dance tights underneath. But she wasn’t wearing the tights now, and they were so high on the curves of her ass he could see the cheeks peeking out while she ran in front of him, bouncing provocatively. And instead of her superhero tanks she was sporting a bikini top that was barely covering anything. It took everything he had to fight back the instincts to pounce on his mate and claim her during the run.

Anytime they were together she would bare her neck and stroke it unconsciously, at the exact spot his wolf wanted to mark with a claiming bite.

He had also started noticing some of his shirts missing, and then found Stiles in nothing but said missing shirts milling around her house, covered in his scent. It was how he found her today in her hotel room when he came to pick her up, having agreed to be her chauffeur while she got ready for the burlesque show. He would have rather stayed in and see what would be needed to get his scent imbedded deeper into her pores.

He had driven her around to eat and then get her hair cut into a sexy asymmetrical cut that was shaved on one side and long on the other. It made his hands itch to tug at the longer ends that were left and see how mussed he could make it look.

When he brought her back to Howl he was quickly kicked out, advised by Erica that he would get to be surprised like everyone else when Stiles went on stage.

He went back to the hotel and spent time with Derek and Cora, trying his best to annoy them and somehow failing. He wondered if he was losing his edge. They just smirked at him as if they knew something he didn’t and ignored his sniping.

The club was packed. Peter was seated in the front with Derek, Isaac, Boyd, and Cora. Peter was ready to get out of there. His eyes had been on Stiles the whole time she was on stage for the group performance, while she danced, slowly shedding garments, walking down the aisles , pressing a kiss on his cheek before walking back onto stage.

He felt like his control was in tatters. It didn’t help that tomorrow was the full moon. He really didn’t care about any of the other dancers and didn’t pay any attention to them. It was his luck that Stiles was the last act and he had to suffer through all of the performances when all he wanted to see was her. His wolf was weary of the crowd at his back, restless and demanding its mate.

The announcer finally came on stage to announce the final act and Peter gave a large sigh of relief. “Ladies and gentlemen, for our final act of the evening, please help me in welcoming Little Red.”

Stiles walked onto the stage to the soft twine of the guitar, red cloak draped over her shoulders, hood up. He could see a short skirt peeking from under her cloak, puffed up with a petticoat, white thigh-high stockings held by a garter belt, and high-heeled Mary Janes. Her lids were darkened with black eyeshadow, enhancing her whiskey eyes even more.

Her eyes met Peter’s and everything seemed to fall away, leaving only her. She gave him a saucy wink and a grin before leaning into the microphone, her sultry voice crooning,

_“Hey there little red riding hood, you sure are looking good._

_You’re everything the big bad wolf could want.”_

The crowd whooped and cat-called. A few wolf whistles filled the air when she shimmied her chest before slipping off the cloak with a twirl, revealing a red underbust corset shimmering with black rhinestones and a creamy white ruffled bra.

_“Little red riding hood, I don’t think little big girls should, go walking in these spooky old woods alone.”_

She grabbed the mic, making her way down the steps straight for Peter and quickly making herself comfortable in his lap, eyes teasing before she started to sing to him,

_“What big eyes you have, the kind of eyes that drive wolves mad._

_Just to see that you don’t get chased I think I ought to walk with you for a ways._

_What full lips you have, they’re sure to lure someone bad.”_

Her hand slid over his jaw, thumb skipping his lip before she rose from his lap easily, turning to sing the final phrase before making her way back up onto the stage. It was everything Peter could do not to grab her and hold her back.

_“So until you get to grandma’s place I think you ought to walk with me and be safe._

_I’m gonna keep the sheep suit on, till I’m sure that you’ve been shown, that I can be trusted walking with you alone.”_

She turned her back to the crowd and worked the clasps of her underbust loose, throwing it to the side of the stage

_“Little red riding hood I’d like to hold you if I could._

_But you might think I’m the big bad wolf so I won’t. “_

Stiles’ hips shimmied with the guitar, slipping her skirt and petticoat off and easily stepping out of it. She kicked it to the side, leaving her in a skimpy pair of white ruffled panties that matched her bra, a white garter belt, and the white stockings. She looked almost virginal except for the looks filled with hunger she kept giving him while she sang.

_“What a big heart I have, the better to love you with.”_

She kicked off her heels and her right foot went up onto the stool next to her microphone.

_“Little red riding hood, even bad wolves can be good.”_

Stiles deftly unhooked her garter belt from her stocking, slowly rolling the stocking down her foot.

_“Try to keep satisfied just to walk close by your side.”_

She lowered her right foot and lifted her left foot up to the stool, removing her other stocking.

_“Maybe you’ll see things my way, before we get to grandma’s place.”_

Unhooking her garter belt, she threw it to the side and turned her back to the crowd.

_“Little red riding hood, you sure are looking good; you’re everything the big bad wolf could want.”_

Grasping the microphone in one hand, she unclasped her bra with the other, letting the garment hang against her breasts momentarily before tossing it aside, back still to the crowd, swaying her hips to the song,

_“Little red riding hood, I don’t think little big girls should go walking in these spooky old woods alone.”_

She turned to the crowd. Glimmering black jeweled tassels covered her nipples, a red teardrop hanging from each almost as if she had been pierced. She did a chest shimmy, red jewels bouncing, and Peter felt his control snap.

The crowd had barely begun to clap before he was out of his chair, bounding up the stage and hoisting Stiles over his shoulder. She gave an indignant squawk of outrage, yelling at him to put her down, much to the crowd’s amusement.

He grabbed Stiles’ cloak and draped it over her as he jumped off the stage and left, wolf whistles and cat-calls in his wake.

~*~

Stiles quieted once they left the club, and let Peter carry her through the hotel lobby, earning a few odd looks from guests. Stiles really didn’t care; the only thing she kept wondering was why she couldn’t feel Peter’s emotions. It was as if he was blocking them from her and her hope that he might finally do more than kiss her forehead.

When they reached Peter’s hotel room he slipped her off of his shoulder, sat down on the edge of the bed, and laid her facedown in his lap. His voice was dark and firm when he finally spoke, brooking no disobedience. “Your safe word is Pumpkin, do you understand? If anything I do is too much, you use that word and we stop, no questions asked.”

Stiles moaned at his words, familiar words he had spoken to her in her dreams. “Yes.”

She bit back a cry at the hot flash of heat when his palm landed against her cloth-covered ass. “Yes what?”

She tried her hardest not to squirm back against his hand. “Yes, Sir.”

He smoothed his hand over her backside, soothing. “Good girl. Do you know why I’m going to punish you, Stiles?”

Stiles shuddered at his words, fire spreading through her veins. “Yes, Sir.”

His hand fell once more against her backside, causing Stiles to cry out.

Peter growled. “Tell me why you’re going to be punished Stiles, and don’t lie, you know exactly why.”

Stiles whimpered when his hand stopped stroking her ass. “Because I’ve been teasing you, taunting your wolf to claim his mate, testing your control.”

Peter slid a hand over Stiles back soothingly. “Good girl. That’s right, and that is exactly why I’m going to have to punish you, Little Red. If you had just come to me and talked to me instead of pushing me we could most likely have come up with a mutually beneficial solution. But you didn’t, Stiles, you decided to just push and test my limits. You really disappointed me.”

Stiles felt tears of shame gathering at the corner of her eyes. “I’m sorry Sir, I never thought of that. I just wanted you to touch me and you never did and, I’m sorry, I should have come to you, talked to you like we promised we would.”

She felt his hand run soothingly down her back again. “Easy, Pet, everything will be all right. You’re going to take your punishment like a good girl and later we’re going to take about this, is that understood?”

Stiles nodded, sniffling lightly. “Y-yes, sir.”

Peter slid her panties off of her legs. “Good girl. I’m going to remind you of the rules, Pet. You are not allowed to come unless I tell you to. If your pretty little pussy doesn’t stay wet during the whole punishment I will stop. For your punishment I am going to give you twenty-five strikes; you will count the strikes verbally and ask nicely for another. Failing to do so will earn you a longer punishment. Is that understood?”

Stiles moaned at his words, almost identical to her dream, squirming as she felt Peter slide the panties off of her before his fingers slipped between her cheeks, moving back to dip into her pussy. “Y-yes, Sir.”

He curved his fingers, stroking her pussy, feeling how wet she was. He let out a low rumbling groan before asking, “Safe word, Pet?”

Stiles whimpered, trying and failing to thrust back against his fingers, before finally answering, “Pumpkin, sir.”

He slipped his fingers from her pussy and she cried out at the loss. Once she settled again he slid his hand across the swell of her ass before reminding her, “Don’t forget to count.”

The first strike fell almost immediately, not giving her a chance to tense with anticipation. The blow was firm and solid, sending her thoughts in multiple directions all at once. Finally, she remembered to count. “One. Please Sir, may I have another?”

And then Peter started the volley, alternating between cheeks. Sometimes he would rub her cheeks after a strike; other times he would slide his fingers inside of her, curving his fingers just enough to reach her G-spot, making stars sparkle behind her closed eyes.

Her mind slowly calmed as she counted for him. She felt herself let go into his control, knowing he would catch her should she fall.

Peter rubbed his finger, wet with her juices, against her anus, gently pressing as he murmured, “You’re taking your punishment so well, Pet. I can feel your pussy dripping against my thigh. It makes me wish I had supplies on hand. I’d string you up and play with you all night. Eat that pretty little pussy up and then slip in one of those anal plugs with the jeweled ends, meant more for jewelry than for stretching you out for sex, and take you out to dinner. Watch you squirm while you’re filled just for me.”

His finger slid into her ass past the first knuckle and Stiles cried out, her pussy clenching, feeling desperately empty.

He removed his finger from her tight little ass and let go another three consecutive smacks against her burning ass. Stiles cried out, her engorged clit rubbing against Peter’s dress pants. She whimpered, on the verge of an orgasm she knew she wasn’t allowed yet. “E-eighteen, nuh-nineteen, t-twenty, please Sir, may I have another? Please, Sir I’m so close. May I come please?”

Peter stilled before flipping her onto her back, his hand pressing against her abdomen to keep her steady. “Tell you what, Pet. You have five strikes left. I am going to spank that pretty little pussy of yours, and if you can hold off for me I’ll eat your pussy until you come. How does that sound, Stiles? Do you want to come with my tongue deep in your cunt?”

Stiles whimpered before nodding. “Yes Sir, but I’m not sure if I’ll be able to hold back from coming if you spank my pussy.”

His hand stroked her abdomen. “Thank you for being honest, Pet, but if you come before I’m done, I’ll have to lengthen your punishment, so make sure you don’t, understood?”

Stiles nodded and then let out a loud whine as Peter slid his hand into her wet folds, gently massaging before raising his hand and spanking her right against her clit.

Stiles screamed. The pain was so good it made her whole body grow taut as she fought back her orgasm. “T-twenty one. P-please sir, m-may I have another?”

He struck her pussy three more times, causing Stiles to cry out, tears rolling down her face while struggled not to come. She was so close, her body so sensitive she felt like if he just blew on her the right way she could come. Her voice was garbled and barely recognizable when she counted to twenty-four and asked for another.

Peter smiled, his eyes connecting with hers before he let out a small laugh. “Only one more now, Pet. You’ve been so good for me, don’t let me down.”

When the final strike fell, Stiles’ whole body went rigid, fighting with all her might against the orgasm she knew was eminent. She panted heavily. Nails digging into Peter’s upper arm, she fought to draw enough breath to brokenly whimper, “T-twenty-five. P-p-please sir, m-may I have another?”

Tears fell down her cheeks, her whole body aching with the force of her need. Her body felt like one large organ, thrumming with the beat of her heart.

Peter soothingly ran a hand down her side. “Easy Pet, I have you. It’s all over, and you did so well for me, such a good girl. It’s time for your reward. I’m going to eat that pretty little cunt and you can come anytime you want.”

He shifted her like she weighed nothing, laying her on the bed, hooking her legs over his shoulders and leaning into the pulsing heat between her legs, inhaling a deeply, eyes flashing blue as he growled, deep and guttural. “Fuck, you smell so good, Stiles. Like pumpkin spice and sugar and sweetness. Ever since I got that taste of you on my fingers at the club I’ve been dying to taste you again.”

Stiles cried out when he blew against her soft curls, knowing she wasn’t going to last long at all, she was so close.

Peter dove into her folds, sucking on her clit as he thrust two fingers into her pussy. He rumbled against her, a low growl of arousal, and that was really all that was needed, much to her embarrassment.

She shattered into a thousand pieces, fingers curling into the sheets as she screamed brokenly, riding out her orgasm. Peter continued to suck on her clit, slowly easing on the pressure, fingers stroking against her swollen folds until she finally laid limp, whimpering and oversensitive.

Peter slowly removed his fingers from her and gently picked her up and moved up the mattress, curling himself around her, his hand gently rubbing against her back.

Stiles jerked in surprise when the bond opened and she felt Peter once again.

She felt his arousal, but also his pride in her, his contentment at having her wrapped in his arms, and also wonder for his mate.

Stiles met Peter’s eyes questioningly, knowing Peter hadn't finished with her. He just shook his head before placing a gentle kiss against her forehead and tucking her once again under his chin.

Stiles snuggled into Peter’s arms, content, and slowly drifted away into slumber.

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They were woken up early in the morning by Erica looking very unimpressed and yelling. “Seriously, guys? I book you a romantic suite and you fall asleep on the couch?”
> 
> Stiles groaned, trying to bury her face into Peter’s chest, not ready to wake up yet. Peter wrapped his arms around Stiles, growling at Erica for the disruption.
> 
> Erica just grinned unrepentantly at the glare, thrusting a coffee cup into Peter’s hand. “It’s time to get Sleeping Beauty’s hair and makeup done, and yours too, Peter. The filming crew is going to be here in half an hour and the girls are waiting downstairs to get started. “
> 
> She leaned closer, fanning the coffee smell towards Stile’s nose, which was buried in Peter’s shoulder. “Come on Stiles, you need to get up while your coffee’s still hot. You need to hop in the shower and get ready. We brought you breakfast so you can eat before your hair gets done, then we’ll move onto makeup.”
> 
> Stiles finally shifted to glare at Erica, lifting her arm up to make grabby hands at the coffee. Peter chuckled under her before having the same glare pinned onto him.
> 
> Erica smartly surrendered the cup of coffee while Stiles and Peter disentangled from each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 01/28/2015 - Officially Betad by my AWESOME BADASS Beta Bitchinachinashop!!
> 
> ~*~  
> Oh my god guys!!! This chapter nearly killed me!! I hate writing scenes that jump from one thing to another but this one NEEDED it. Please don't kill me with the whole Peter asking to take things slow. There is a big reason for this that will be seen next chapter most likely. 
> 
> Once again thank you to my lovely Cheerleader FaeryCastle! I wouldn't be finishing these chapters without her kicking me in the ass.,
> 
> Thank you SO MUCH to the wonderful bitchinachinashop who has agreed to Beta for me. She is slowly making her way through all of my chapters but pretty soon this story will be Beta than ever! XD

Stiles woke to the buzzing noise of her cell phone the next morning and sleepily reached for it before her sleep-muddled mind realized two things.

One: she’d been practically naked the night before and therefore would not have had her cellphone on hand.

Two: she was alone in Peter’s bed with said werewolf nowhere in sight.

Peter had better have a good excuse for not being there, when she specifically remembered him saying that they would have a talk.

She sleepily mumbled a hello when she finally managed to reach her phone. Her arm brushed a folded piece of stationary with her name elegantly scrawled on it, which had been left on Peter’s pillow.

Erica’s way-too-cheerful voice called out through the phone. “Morning sleepyhead, this is your wakeup call! You and I need to talk. Can I come up to your room? Or should I be going up to Peter’s suite?”

Stiles yawned wide enough for her jaw to crack, trying her hardest not to roll around like a cat as she stretched. “Peter’s suite. Can you give me half an hour?”

Erica chuckled. “Sure thing, you order breakfast for us on Peter’s tab and I’ll bring the coffee. I’m at that coffee shop we visited last time we were in town. Janice and Tracy are with me, want them to come with?”

Stiles perked up at the mention of the drag queens she’d met at the bar. “Yes, please, bring them with you. I didn’t get a chance to thank Tracy for doing my makeup for the show.”

Erica agreed and quickly hung up. Stiles impatiently opened the folded piece of paper, obviously left by Peter. 

_Stiles,_

_I’m sorry I left before you woke up. My control was tenuous at best this close to the full moon and I needed to get away. I had your belongings moved to my suite; please use it, it’s been reserved until Monday. Order room service, I’m sure the pack is going to descend on you so don’t worry about cost, feed them too. I wanted nothing more than to wake up in your arms but couldn’t risk hurting you. Please don’t be angry with me. I will see you Monday._

_Forever yours._

_Peter_

Stiles sighed deeply, disappointed but not able to stay angry with her mate. She knew how much teasing him had pushed at his control.

She grabbed her cellphone and hit the camera app, snapping a photo of herself lying comfortably in bed, pouting and giving her best puppy-eyed look. Her hair was sleep-mussed, and she one nipple peek into the shot just in case Peter thought she wasn’t naked. Like he would, with her bare shoulders, but she couldn’t help showing him what he was missing by running off on her.

Once she was happy with the photo she typed in a text and sent it off to Peter.

_“I don’t enjoy waking up to an empty bed, especially when I was hoping to pick up where we left off.”_

It only took Peter two minutes to reply back to her text.

_“If you mean a spanking for being a bad girl, you’re well on the way to earning another.”_

Stiles’ body thrummed at the memory of Peter’s hands on her, her ass still twinging slightly from last night, a good pain. She sent him a reply, a smug grin on her lips.

_“If it means I get Sir’s hands on me, I’ll gladly take another punishment.”_

The phone buzzed almost immediately with a response.

_“I will see you Monday, Pet.”_

Stiles’ smile stayed on her lips while she got washed and dressed and ordered room service.

Erica, Janice, and Tracy arrived at the same time as room service, and once everything was settled they sat down at the dining table to eat their brunch.

Janice looked around and whistled. “Honey, you look like a kept woman in this suite. What is this? The presidential suite? That man of yours sure likes to spoil you.”

Stiles blushed, shoving a croissant in her mouth and chewing while Erica laughed and answered for her, “They call this suite the executive suite, but you’re pretty much right. It’s the biggest suite they have, and it’s usually used for business meetings, hence the big living room and dining area. We’ve used this suite a fair few times for potential club investors.”

A cacophony of chatter ensued while everyone ate the mountain of food Stiles had ordered and sipped at their cups of coffee.

Once they were finished, Erica cleared her throat, eyeing Stiles with her business face on. “Now I think we should get to the biggest reason I came to see you this morning. I know how you showed interest in permanent instructor position at the gym. I was just told this morning that Christine is officially leaving us, and I wanted to give you first crack at the position. You in?”

Stiles’ jaw dropped in shock before she finally managed to nod dumbly.

Erica laughed, her head falling back with her cackling. “Did I break you?”

Stiles shook herself out of her stupor, much to the girl’s amusement.  “Yes, I’m definitely interested in the position! Thank you so much Erica!”

Erica winked at her. “You’re more than welcome Stiles. I wouldn’t be hiring you if you weren’t cut out for it. You’ll be in charge of the beginner pole classes and you’ll keep doing the Zumba classes like you were doing. I’ll have one of the girls shadow you for the beginner pole lessons as a mentor. All we have to do now is start on your initiation piece. ”

Stiles frowned in confusion. “What initiation piece? You better not be hazing me, this is not a college sorority.”

Erica grinned wide, flashing bright white teeth. “Relax Stiles. It’s just what we call it. It’s a tradition we started when we first opened and made a website. Every new instructor films a creative music video of what their best at. With you, I’d go with pole dancing.  Maybe go with a little red riding hood theme since your dance name is Little Red.”

Tracy whooped. “I’m so doing your makeup!”

Janice piped in. “I can help with wardrobe and I have a friend who films music videos for his YouTube channel, he’s quite good at it. I might be able to get him in on this.”

Erica’s eyes sparkled with glee. “I have the perfect song for it, too. Stiles has been working on a routine to “Lick” by Joi and it’s amazing. I’m actually hoping she joins our team for the next pole competition. We could use the club for the pole routine, that way we could get an awesome light show going and we could film a wood scene at Stiles’ place. Maybe get Peter to play the big bad wolf. Since Stiles is a good singer, we could get her to record the song. which would help with copyright issues. Boyd has a friend who owns a recording studio and has offered us the use before. I could ask him, I’m sure Jason will say yes.”

Stiles blinked, feeling a little overwhelmed before finally speaking, “Uh guys, you do remember the fact that I’m kind of hiding out from my abusive ex-husband?”

Erica rolled her eyes. “Stiles, each instructor goes by their dancing name on the website, plus none of our videos has ever gotten more than three hundred views. It’s only local people who view the videos, people interested in joining up for classes. Everything will be fine.”

Stiles sighed, knowing the look on Erica’s face. That look meant that she was having her way or else. So Stiles did the only thing she could do, be as underhanded as she could. “If you can convince Peter to be in it, then I’ll do it.”

Erica grinned undeterred. “Oh, I’ll get him to agree, don’t worry.”

Erica got up and made her way to the bedroom, cellphone in hand, and shut the door behind her. Everything was very quiet until Erica could be heard screaming. “I swear to god Peter, don’t test me, or I’ll do it and you will have no one else to blame but yourself when you kill someone out of jealousy!”

Five minutes later, Stiles received a text from Peter.

_“I will be the Big Bad Wolf to your Little Red Riding Hood in that video. Don’t you dare let Erica cast anyone else or I’ll rip whoever it is to pieces.”_

Stiles eyes widened in surprise before she texted back.

_“Wouldn’t dream of having anyone else as my Big Bad Wolf, Peter. “_

Erica walked out of the bedroom, grinning. “So, Peter agreed and I just got ahold of Boyd’s friend and we are a go for recording. Ladies, let’s get going, we have a song to record! Janice, get a hold of your friend and see if and when he’d be able to start filming.”

People who thought that Stiles was overwhelming clearly had never met Erica.

~*~

The day passed by quickly, with Stiles being dragged to Jason’s recording studio for the majority of the day. She crooned and sang her heart out, then moved onto breathy moans and heavy breathing and whimpers, trying not to giggle. They had to do many retakes before she thought of channeling the memory of Peter spanking her.  All three ladies joined in and recorded the backup vocals; they were amazing.  Stiles was floored when she heard the raw playback.

Janice’s friend Matt showed up and started to discuss details while Jason was putting the finishing touches on their track.

They decided on going with a Little Red Riding Hood theme with a touch of BDSM thrown in after Matt saw Peter’s photo and got a little too excited gushing over how gorgeous he and Stiles were and how he couldn’t wait to film them.

He sketched scenes quickly in his notebook while they all threw out ideas and the others agreed or disagreed.

Finally they decided that they would do the pole dancing choreography at Howl and use the trails for some tight and panned-out dramatic scenes of Stiles in a red cloak walking, with Peter following her. Stiles would look more than aware that her Big Bad Wolf’s eyes were on her. They would also make the requests for day use and rights to film in the Victorian suite at the hotel and  do a few scenes there that were a little more risqué, like Peter sitting in a wingback chair while she crawled to him, panning between his smoldering look and Stiles crawling to him in a skimpy number and wearing a collar. They would also use the four-poster bed to film a few sharp close-up bondage scenes, just giving glimpses of what was going on to tease viewers. they planned on ending the final scene with Stiles draped in Peters lap with her neck arched, both of them staring into the camera while Peter licked the length of her neck before they CGI-ed his eyes flashing electric blue.

Everyone was excited about getting started and Stiles was floored. This music video sounded like it was going to come out as professional as any she had seen on MTV.

Once they were done with the details Jason came out with his laptop in hand, placed it on the table and pressed play. The group listened in rapt attention to Stiles’ voice accompanied by the girls’ background singing. The track sounded just as good, if not better, than most songs Stiles had ever heard at the clubs.

She didn’t have time to feel overwhelmed before getting whisked out for shopping.  Stiles barely needed to say a word. She just needed to try on the clothing when it was shoved into her arms and nod yes or no if she agreed with their choices.

By the end of the day, they were back at the suite eating room service on the massive bed. Stiles had three new pairs of heels, one for each outfit that had been chosen. They’d gone with a red and black theme for both the shoes and the outfits.

She had a red bra and thong set with black lace that had cost a small fortune and made her look like a million bucks. They had picked up a collar at the sex shop that matched it perfectly. Instead of being a traditional thick black leather collar, it was made of black lace. Stiles realized that it was much more for looks than for actual play, but they were going for aesthetics so it didn’t matter.  They would be using that outfit for the bed scene and the collar would be re-used for what they all called the chair scenes.

For the chair scenes they’d picked a burgundy red bustier that made her cleavage look like it was about to spill out. The girls had actually made her crawl around to make sure her breasts did not in fact fall out, much to the clerk’s amusement.

They’d decided to re-use the red cloak from her burlesque show. To make a contrast between the wood scenes, which would be brighter, and the other scenes, which would be darker with the black and red theme, they’d chosen a virginal white, flowing gown that would billow in the wind with her cloak.

They also shopped for Peter’s outfits. He would be wearing the same outfit for most of the scenes. They’d picked a blue dress shirt that brought out Peter’s eyes, which he’d be wearing with his sleeves rolled, a pair of tailored black dress pants that he already owned, and a blood-red tie that would just be used for the bed scene, where he would take it off and blindfold her with it.

For the wood scenes they’d bought a loose pirate shirt with a deep V-neck that gave most of Peter’s shirts a run for their money. They were going to pair those up with the tight pants she’d bought for his Korben Dallas costume and a pair of knee-high boots.

Their wood outfits were going to be a bit more fantastical and romantic, and the other scenes darker and sexier, making viewers wonder if one was reality and the other wasn’t, and if so, which? Also, was it the wolf’s fantasy or Little Red’s?

Once they were done eating, Janice and Tracy left after peppering Erica and Stiles faces with kisses and promising hey would see Stiles tomorrow for the first day of shooting.

It wasn’t long after that that the rest of the pack descended, just as Peter had promised.

Isaac and Boyd arrived first, hugging Stiles and gently scent-marking her before draping themselves over their mate.

Cora and Derek showed up five minutes later, moaning about how Peter was impossible to be around right now and for her to please make it better.

Stiles just laughed while Cora and Derek wrapped themselves around her, carefully scent-marking her.

They all ended up climbing into the king-size bed late that night, each wolf touching some part of Stiles for comfort, helping to keep them grounded with the full moon pulling at them. They all somehow managed to fall asleep. The pack kept Stiles’ dreams at bay and she helped ground and calm them in return.

The only thing missing was her mate to make this night perfect.

When they woke up, Stiles barely had a chance to get coffee and breakfast into her before a filming crew, the whole large group of drag queens she had met at Triangles, and her pack whisked her away like a whirlwind.

Really the filming crew was just Matt, his second camerawoman, a petite brunette named Jolene, and their three assistants Trudy, Jordan, and Jessica. Matt liked to call them his runners.

This was how Stiles ended up driving home in a convoy of cars.

In the middle of the drive, Stiles finally managed to pull herself out of her daze enough to think to warn Peter about the oncoming crowd.

_“Good morning mate of mine. I figured I would give you a head’s up. We’re half an hour away and somehow have a convoy going on. Two cars full of drag queens, one van with a camera crew, and two cars of werewolves. This could become a reality TV show! Hope you’re ready for your close-up. I’m still not sure if I am.”_

The phone beeped a minute later and Stiles couldn’t help the grin that spread across her face.

_“How did we get convinced to film a music video again?”_

Stiles snorted before replying.

_“I think it’s actually your fault. I used the excuse that I’d only do it if Erica could get you to agree to be my Big Bad Wolf, and she did. No going back now, Big Bad. Their plans actually sound really good. Wait till you hear the song we recorded yesterday. And the costumes we bought! You might have trouble keeping your hands off of me ;)”_

The phone beeped almost immediately.

_“I always have trouble keeping my hands off of you, Stiles. That’s nothing new.”_

Stiles’ smile turned soft and gentle.

_“I’ll see you soon, Peter.”_

Peter was waiting on them when the convoy descended.  They barely had time for a quick embrace before they were both whisked into the house to change into their costumes and then sat down next to each other while Tracy did her makeup and Carmen, who was part of a drama group, did Peter’s.

When Stiles was done, her lips were painted a deep red and looked wet and kissable, her already good complexion had been smoothed and made flawless with foundation and bronzer, and her cheeks blushed. They didn’t go as dark with her eyes as they were planning for the other scenes, going for a slightly more innocent look for this shoot. She had false eyelashes and dark mascara and eyeliner, but the eye shadow was a palette of nude browns.  She looked doe-eyed. She barely recognized the sexy woman staring back at her.

Her hair had been styled by Janice pretty simply; the hair she did have was swept to the side and curled to give her a softer look. For the other scenes it would be straightened; everything would look harsher and sexier.

Peter stood stoically still while foundation was applied to his skin and they shaded him a little bit—nowhere near what they did to Stiles, but it accented his features. She also took a stipple sponge and used black pigment to accent his scruff, trying to go for a more rugged look. His hair was styled into a rough hairstyle, like the old werewolf movies only more tasteful.

Once they were done, they were hurried off to the trails where filming began. One of Matt’s assistants held speakers attached to his iPod where he played the song while Stiles mouthed the words, walking towards the camera, a coy smile on her face knowing that the Big Bad Wolf was following behind her.

They then took a few close-ups of Stiles singing, then close-ups of Peter looking straight at the camera like he wanted to eat up what he was looking at. The last shot they took was of the back of Peter while he followed Stiles.

Once they wrapped up, they ushered Stiles back to the cars, ready to move to the second location. They were shooting at Howl for the pole-dancing scenario. Peter thankfully managed to convince them that he was going to drive her to the location while everyone else piled into the cars to resume the convoy.

Once they were in the car and driving for a moment Stiles got the courage to turn and smile at Peter. “Hi.”

Peter’s lips twitched before his hand reached out to grasp hers gently. “Hi.”

Stiles felt like a nervous teenager on her first date, her heart fluttering in her chest like a hummingbird. She licked her lips nervously before finally speaking, “So, we were going to have a talk?”

Peter took a deep breath as if to ground himself before nodding. “Stiles, I want you to know that I want nothing more than to have sex with you. Honestly, the urge to claim you is more than I can stand at times.  I just can’t go all the way until I’m ready to claim you. “

He squeezed Stiles hand slightly before rushing on afraid she would argue. “I pride myself on my control, but since you’ve come into my life that control has been shaken. I don’t trust myself not to hurt you if we try a scene without my having claimed you beforehand. “

Peter swallowed tightly, his eyes on the road. “My anchor was my wife; when she died it turned to anger and revenge. Since we’ve met you’ve slowly become my anchor, but it’s as if I’m still fighting with myself between two anchors. It leaves me unstable and my control feels shaky at best.”

He glance at her for a short moment, eyes smoldering with intensity, before looking back to the road. “There is nothing I want more than to have sex with you, Stiles. But since my wife, I haven’t been in a relationship. It’s only been bodies to help scratch a need. You’re my mate and you deserve more than that. We’ve been getting to know each other and taking things slow, and I’d like to keep to that pace for both our sakes. I want us both to know that this is truly what we want before we claim each other. You’re human; you have a choice in this, and I don’t want you to say yes just because I’m your mate.”

Stiles squeezed his hand back. Her chest was tight with emotion, both his and her own, while he spoke. She could feel his sincerity, the pain at the loss of his wife, the wonder and love he felt for her. “It’s okay, Peter. I’m sorry I pushed you. I’m a very physical person—it’s one of the ways I show my affection, and I should have expressed my needs instead of just pushing you. I’m okay with taking things slow if that’s what you need.”

Peter squeezed her hand gently as they drove in silence for a while, Stiles deep in thought before she finally spoke again. “Could we take things in slow increments? Like, we’ve been spending a lot of time together recently—could we take it to another level and kiss? That’s kind of something I never had in high school; the teenage experience of being wooed, long make-out sessions before later moving to things like above-waist groping.  Getting hot and heavy, but knowing you can’t take it any further.”

Stiles gasped at the arousal that came through the mate bond.  He gently disentangled his hand from hers before looking at her once more, his eyes glowing electric blue before he forced it back. “I’m not against giving you traditional teenage wooing, Stiles. I was pretty good at it back in the day. There’s even a drive-in theatre an hour and a half from the house if you want real retro.”

Stiles’ head fell back with laughter before she met his eyes and nodded. “I’ve never been to a drive-in, I’d love that. It reminds me of _Grease_. I promise if you try to pull a move on me I won’t freak like Sandy did.”

Peter gave her a mockingly affronted look. “Oh please, I’m so much better than Danny Zuko.”

Stiles started to hum and then sing “Summer Nights.”  Peter huffed gently before joining in, much to her delight.

The drive passed quickly between Stiles’ chatter and Peter’s snarky replies until they found themselves parked at Howl.

Stiles was quickly whisked away to dress and have her makeup done. This time it was much more dramatic and smoldering, with a dark, smoky eye and ruby-red lips.  Her hair was straightened and parted to the side once more.

Once they were done Erica walked in, grin on her face and garment bag in hand. She thrust it into Stiles’ arms and shoved her towards the changing room, ordering her to go change.

When she came back out everyone wolf whistled and cat called, causing Stiles to blush.

The outfit that Erica had picked out reminded her of a figure skating outfit. The skirt barely covered her and was a deep red with glittering black sequins. The fabric went up her sides, connecting to the top, which barely covered her breasts and dipped low, giving a good view of her cleavage. Her stomach and back were covered with a see-through fabric that was covered with red sequins. The light show would glimmer off of her on the pole and make her shine like a jewel. The outfit was finished off with Erica’s black leather thigh-high boots, which Stiles was thankful for since they helped with her grip when she did more advanced tricks.

“Oh honey, wait till your man sees you. You are sex on legs, baby,” Tracy exclaimed, the other drag queens nodding behind her.

Erica stepped forward, handing her the lace collar that finished her outfit. She helped her put it on then guided her to a mirror, smirking behind her while Stiles eyed her own reflection with surprise.

Gone was the gangly and awkward teenage girl who hadn’t quite grown into herself, the image that somehow always seemed to be trapped in Stiles’ subconscious.

The woman who stared back at Stiles was sexy, confident woman; one who had survived monsters both human and supernatural and come out stronger. This woman was ready to dance for her mate.

Nodding back at herself, she took a deep calming breath before quickly turning on her heels, stepping through the hallway and onto the stage where the cameras were set up and almost ready to film.

She reached the pole at the center of the stage.  Matt called out, telling to do her stretches and they’d be ready in a moment.

Stiles tried her hardest to ignore the smoldering gaze that bore through her while she began to stretch and do her warm-ups, letting herself get lost in the repetitive movements until they were ready to start filming.

When the heavy beat of the song began, her eyes met Peter’s for the first time since she’d walked onto stage. She couldn’t help the saucy wink she threw his way before she turned to the pole and began her choreography.

She sashayed towards the pole. When she heard her voice singing about ‘losing control when he grabs ahold,’ she grabbed the pole, twirling herself upwards onto it before inverting herself, hooking a leg around and curving her spine before lifting herself up to grab and hoist herself even higher.  She ground against the pole, getting lost in her choreography, muscles flexing and straining as she twirled and inverted, sometimes only holding herself up with one leg or one arm.

Sweat cast a shimmering glow on her skin by the time the music came to an end and she allowed herself to slide down the pole, panting slightly with exertion.

Wolf whistling and applause brought a smile to her face as her pack and friends made a ruckus, until Matt finally quieted them all down.

“That was good, Stiles. I just need to look over the footage and see if I need any more angles or do-overs. You can relax for now.” He smiled and turned back to his camera.

Stiles walked over to Peter and sat herself at the edge of the stage in front of him.  Everyone else seemed to magically disperse, giving them the illusion of privacy.

Peter walked into the space between her parted legs and slid his hands against her sides gently, before leaning in to place a soft kiss against her lips.

Stiles couldn’t help the goofy grin that came to her lips once Peter moved away to smile back at her. “So what did you think of my routine?”

His eyes smoldered and the hands at her waist tightened minutely. “You were breathtaking, Stiles.”

Stiles grinned happily back at Peter.  She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer and nuzzling at his jaw, breathing him in, loving the smell of her mate even without super werewolf senses. “Thanks, Big Bad.”

Matt finally tore himself away from his camera and called Stiles over to redo a few angle shots before they were all released until shooting recommenced tomorrow in the hotel.

Stiles quickly got changed into a pair of shorts and a tank top and joined Peter, while everyone packed up. “You ready for tomorrow? The scenes are going to be pretty intense.”

Peter quirked a brow, smirking. “Please, Stiles, I’m a professional.”

Stiles snorted. “You’ve done this kind of thing before, have you?”

He nodded. “I did some modelling when I was younger.”

It was Stiles’ turn to smirk. “I don’t think your shoots included having to watch your mate crawl towards you on hands and knees in nothing but a thong and bustier and a collar. You’ll also have to run your hands and tongue over my body while lying in a Victorian four-poster bed while I’m in nothing but a collar, bra and panties. We’re going to be touching, feeling each other’s arousal, and you’re going to have to keep from flashing your eyes on camera.”

Peter’s eyes did flash blue, his jaw tightening and his pupils dilating with arousal. “I’ll manage, since I’m not letting anyone else lay their hands on you.”

Stiles wrapped her arms around Peter’s, burying her nose in the crook of his neck. “Good, because I don’t want anyone else’s hands on me either.”

She felt Peter’s arms wrap around her tightly for a moment before they were rudely interrupted by Erica. “Alright lovebirds, break it up!”

She grinned at both of them, ignoring the growls from both parties before thrusting a keycard into Peter’s hands. “Here’s a little present from the pack for both of you.”

Stiles leaned over to see the label printed on the card and frowned. “You booked us a hotel room?”

Erica grinned wolfishly. “Actually it’s the Victorian Suite. We decided to book it for the whole night so you guys can enjoy it tonight. We’ll be over tomorrow morning to start filming—make sure you’re presentable.”

She winked and walked away, leaving Stiles watching her go, jaw dropped.  She finally shook herself out of it and managed to blurt out in horror, “I think our pack is trying to get us laid, Peter…”

Peter’s shoulders began to shake until he threw his head back and broke out into all-out laughter, arms wrapped around his middle, his whole body trembling, tears running down his cheeks.

It was the most beautiful sight she’d ever seen, and she couldn’t help but stare in awe and smile. She’d never seen Peter laugh, other than small chuckles. This full-body, happy laugh was something new and amazing. Stiles vowed to fill his life with more laughter.

She thought she heard the click of a camera, but when she turned towards the sound, Erica was speaking on her phone and making her way out of the club.

Everyone said their goodbyes and parted ways, leaving Peter and Stiles alone to make the short walk to the hotel.

In no time they were in their suite and snuggled up on a very comfortable antique couch, watching a movie on the flat screen television and eating room service.

Stiles sighed contentedly against Peter’s shoulder, draping her weight even more onto him, while he chuckled, wrapping his arms around her. “Long day?”

Stiles groaned lightly. “You have no idea. These last two days have been a blur to me. Starting with being swooped up by Hurricane Erica to record the track and then shopping to filming today. It’s all been pretty overwhelming.”

Peter’s arms tightened around Stiles and he dropped a gentle kiss against her temple. “I can only imagine. We only have the shoot tomorrow left and things will calm down again.”

Stiles chuckled gently. “I sure hope so.”

They fell into companionable silence, watching their movie. Both of them eventually fell asleep, Stiles draped over Peter against the couch.

 They were woken up early in the morning by Erica looking very unimpressed and yelling. “Seriously, guys? I book you a romantic suite and you fall asleep on the couch?”

Stiles groaned, trying to bury her face into Peter’s chest, not ready to wake up yet. Peter wrapped his arms around Stiles, growling at Erica for the disruption.

Erica just grinned unrepentantly at the glare, thrusting a coffee cup into Peter’s hand. “It’s time to get Sleeping Beauty’s hair and makeup done, and yours too, Peter. The filming crew is going to be here in half an hour and the girls are waiting downstairs to get started. “

She leaned closer, fanning the coffee smell towards Stile’s nose, which was buried in Peter’s shoulder. “Come on Stiles, you need to get up while your coffee’s still hot. You need to hop in the shower and get ready. We brought you breakfast so you can eat before your hair gets done, then we’ll move onto makeup.”

Stiles finally shifted to glare at Erica, lifting her arm up to make grabby hands at the coffee. Peter chuckled under her before having the same glare pinned onto him.

Erica smartly surrendered the cup of coffee while Stiles and Peter disentangled from each other.

The couple quietly sipped at their coffees while Erica made the call to let the girls know they could make their way up to the suite.

By the time they arrived, Stiles was feeling almost human again.  She managed to smile and hug each of the girls before being ushered into the _en suite_ bathroom with her outfit for the crawling and chair scenes, and a bathrobe.

Peter, on the other hand, was sent to the bathroom attached to the living room to shower, Erica passing him a garment bag with his freshly pressed suit in it.

When Stiles emerged from the bathroom she was dressed in her bustier and thong, the bathrobe keeping her decent until filming.

Peter was already seated in his chair, Carmen blow-drying his hair while he chewed at a breakfast sandwich.

Tracy sat her down next to Peter and thrust a takeout bag into her hands before starting on Stiles’ hair.

Hair and makeup was finished in time for Matt and his film crew to arrive and set up.

Matt directed Peter to sit on a wingback chair they’d moved to the corner of the room after turning off the lights and arranging everything just right so that the light coming from the blinds would add to the mood they were looking for.

After Peter was instructed on how he wanted him to act, he moved Stiles into position, letting her know where he wanted her to start, how he wanted her to crawl, and to keep her eyes pinned to Peters for the first angle and then look straight at the camera for the second angle.

Stiles’ eyes met Peter’s when she shed her robe, and she felt a shiver run down her spine at the smoldering look he gave her. Her mate was gorgeous sitting there like a king on his throne, the blue shirt making his blue eyes impossibly brighter. The sleeves were rolled up to show off his strong forearms, legs slightly parted and cupping his package in a delicious way.

Erica took the robe from her and she gracefully fell to her knees, old training kicking in as she put herself into position, ready to crawl to her mate like the good sub that she was.

When the music started she locked her gaze with Peter’s, a cheeky grin on her lips, slowly crawling towards her mate, curving her back, showing off her cleavage while her ass stayed high in the air, knowing the image she would be making for him.

When she reached him her hands crawled up his legs, slowly up his thighs before she felt Peter grasp her chin and pull her forward into his lap, his face in the crook of her neck, nuzzling, before she heard Matt yell, “Cut!”

She blinked slowly, snapping out of her daze, much to Peter’s amusement, as Matt approved the first take. “How about we do the scene with Stiles in your lap with both of you staring at the camera first, before we do the scene with Stiles staring straight at the camera?”

Peter rearranged Stiles in his lap so she was sensually draped in his arms per Matt’s instructions and they began filming, both of them staring into the camera. Stiles mouthed the words to the song with a slightly smug look on her face, while Peter looked possessive and smoldering. When the end of the lyrics came he leaned over, licking her from collar to ear while still keeping his gaze at the camera, eyes half closing as he fought the groan at the taste of his mate. Stiles gasped softly, eyes closing, baring her neck even more at the feeling.

Matt couldn’t help gushing over how hot Stiles and Peter were together and how awesome this video was going to end up.  “I swear I’ve never filmed a couple who were so comfortable for the camera before. I’ve barely had to do any retakes with the two of you, its mind boggling.  You’re naturals.”

They did need to take a few takes of Stiles crawling while staring straight into the camera before she managed to focus on the image of Peter staring at her, but when she did Matt happily told her to go change for the bedroom scene.

She walked into the bedroom in her bra and panty ensemble and quickly crawled onto the bed with Peter.

 

 

 

 

The bedroom scene was not nearly as sexy as most would imagine it to be.

Matt had to yell out “Cut!” more than once due to Stiles giggling.

Peter huffed, amused, and Stiles finally blurted out, “I feel like we’re filming a porno, for god sakes.”

Peter laughed alongside her. “Trust me, Stiles, if we were filming a porno you would know.”

They finally got the first part of the bedroom scene filmed: Peter tied her to the bedframe, removed the tie from around his neck and blindfolded Stiles with it.

At one point she had Matt standing over her head. while he zoomed in to get a shot of Peter staring at the camera as he trailed his lips down her cleavage and over her ribs.   


They took other angle shots from over Peter’s back, Stiles having to throw her head back in pleasure.

The whole thing was very bizarre and surreal, and although it was amusing, she was glad when it was done.

Before everyone split up, Matt let them know it should only take a few days for him to finish post-processing and that he would forward the link to Erica to share with everyone.

The following four days went by in relative peace and quiet. Stiles spent time with Peter, Cora, and Derek in relative happiness.

It was on the fifth day that Stiles received a call to come over to Peter’s. Something in his voice set her on edge.

When she arrived, the whole pack was there, including Erica, Boyd, and Isaac. They were all trying to hide the worry in their gaze. “What’s going on, guys?”

Erica stepped forward, her smile held firmly in place. “A few things, but first, the video is up on YouTube. So, you ready to see yourself on the big screen?”

Stiles frowned but nodded and watched as Erica pressed play on the video they had already set up on the flat screen.

The video was amazing. It was provocative and sexy, and completely professional. It looked just as good as any music video she had ever seen on MTV, and she couldn’t believe it was her on screen. Peter was mouthwatering, and the stares they gave each other in their scenes were breathtaking. The pole dancing sequences were amazing; the lightshow made her sequins glow like diamonds while she twirled and twisted.

When the video finished, Stiles smiled, turning to her pack. “It’s amazing! It came out better than I ever would have imagined. But that still doesn’t explain why you’re all so tense.”

Everyone turned to glare at Erica, who visibly flinched. “Stiles, I don’t want you to panic when I show you this.”

Stiles scowled. “I’m not making any promises until you show me, Erica.”

Erica sighed, before clicking out of full screen mode, showing how many hits her video had received.

Stiles stared at the number in horror. “That is a lot more than three hundred, Erica!”

The number she was staring at had seven figures.

Erica groaned. “I had no idea your video would go viral, Stiles.”

Derek growled, shutting her up. “It’s worse than that. Cora, show her.”

Cora opened a new tab and logged into her own Facebook, then clicked on Stiles’ profile. Greenburg had shared the video onto Stiles’ profile, and there were more than two hundred comments and counting.

Stiles groaned as she read the numerous comments asking who the hot guy was and commenting on how Stiles had grown up in all the right places. “How likely is it that Dad and Talia won’t catch wind of this?”

Peter’s cellphone choose that minute to start ringing. “I would say highly unlikely.”

Stiles whimpered while Peter answered his phone. “Hello dear sister, to what do I owe this rare call? You usually call one of your pups when you need to discuss me.”

The whole pack flinched at the growl that resonated through the phone. “Enough with the snark, Peter. If you weren’t my brother I would be ripping your throat out right now. Do you have any idea what you’ve just done? You just compromised Stiles’ safety. You were supposed to keep her safe, not get into her pants, Peter! Is she there? Where is the rest of the pack?”

Stiles grabbed the phone from Peter’s hands with a growl, having moved close enough to hear the conversation.  “I’m right here, Talia, and I’m fine. The rest of the pack is all here as well. This was entirely my fault, not Peter’s; can you keep the threats to a minimum please? I don’t take well to having my mate threatened, even if it’s by my Alpha.”

There was a moment of silence on the line before two voices screamed, “MATE!?”

Everyone groaned as the sheriff came on the phone. “Stiles, this is serious! You’ve most likely been compromised with this video. We’re taking the next flight down, along with the rest of the pack and Parrish.”

Stiles huffed, and her voice grew firm. “I am serious, Dad. Peter is my mate, and I won’t have both of you jumping down his throat, blaming him for a video that was my idea. The only reason he agreed to shoot the video was to please me, and because he didn’t want anyone else’s hands on me. I mean it, Dad. I won’t have him threatened.  Do not fight me on this; I have never been more serious in my life.”

The receiver was muffled for a moment before her dad came back on the line. “We’re going to be there tomorrow around nine in the morning. Be ready for us, we will discuss this then.”

Stiles voiced her agreement before hanging up, her shoulders stiff.

Peter’s hand landed softly against her shoulder, and she growled. “I’m serious; I won’t have her threatening you like that. After everything she did to you, your own sister. I just can’t. I won’t stand by and have my mate threatened.”

He wrapped his arms around her gently. “It’s alright, Stiles. I’m fine, and you don’t need to defend my honor.”

Stiles eyed him seriously. “You forget I can feel your emotions right now, Peter. You hide it well, but she hurt you with what she said. “

He huffed but didn’t say anything else. The rest of the pack slowly inched their way towards them, wrapping their arms around the couple, comforting their pack mates. Derek finally said, “We’ll all be there to support you. We’ll make sure to get through to Mom.”

The rest of the pack nodded in agreement while Peter and Stiles both gazed at each other, unsure if that would be enough to sway their Alpha to see reason.

 


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He wanted to howl in sadness and pain. He could barely meet his alpha’s eyes as he finally managed to rasp out, “My mate, Talia? You would take my mate away from me? After everything you’ve done to me. After everything I’ve lost. What have I ever done to make you hate me so much?”
> 
> The door opened with a crash before Talia had a chance to open her mouth to speak. His mate was radiant in her fury, eyes flashing and body trembling with emotion as she placed herself protectively between their him and their alpha. “Are you fucking kidding me, Talia!? After everything you’ve done to him?”
> 
> Stiles lifted her hand, cutting off her father when he moved to chastise her. “No Dad, she needs to hear this, it’s due time."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 03/02/2015 - Officially BETAD!! Thank you so much for correcting this Bitchinachinashop !! You are my hero!
> 
> FINALLY!! I'm so sorry it took so long. With the last convention, work, and a small depression. It took MUCH longer than anticipated to get this chapter out. Its Unbeta'd for now. My beta is slowly making her way through all of my chapters.  
> I hope you all enjoy it and please leave me feedback!!. Only two maybe three or four chapters before this fic is DONE!
> 
> Once again thank you to my lovely Cheerleader FaeryCastle who listens to me bitch and whine every step of the way and who lets me know if what I’m writing is utter crap or if it works. There are times when I’m writing at four in the morning, exhausted and not quite sure! She keeps pestering me for chapter updates and to stop reading fan fiction and keep writing. There would be no story without this woman, I swear to god.
> 
> And thank you to my lovely Beta bitchinachinashop for Betaing for me!

Peter slowly drifted to awake to the early morning sounds of the forest waking up.

He sighed, turning into his side. His arms reached for his mate and found nothing but rapidly cooling sheets.

He clearly remembered the stubborn set of Stiles’ jaw last night when she told him she was sleeping in his bed because she refused to have a discussion with their Alpha without carrying his scent.

Peter hadn’t slept so well in ages, and wondered if this was how his mate had felt waking up to an empty bed the morning after the burlesque show. Well rested yet put out.

He slowly picked up his cellphone, checking the time, and groaned. Four in the morning was way too early for his mate to be out of bed.

Padding barefoot out of the bedroom, he let his senses guide him, locking onto her rapid heartbeat and following the acrid smell of her nerves and stress to a wild raspberry patch near the house.

He watched her pick berries for a moment in the flow of the sunrise before finally speaking, his voice barely hiding his worry. “Stiles, it’s four in the morning. Come back to bed.”

Stiles shook her head and kept on picking berries, her mouth set in a firm line. “I have to pick raspberries and blueberries to make pie. Then I need to get started on the rest of the baking. They’re going to be here in four hours, that’s not much time.”

Peter frowned before moving forward and resting his hand gently on her shoulder. “Come on Stiles, you need your rest, you don’t need to bake for them.”

He felt the sheer panic rise from her through the bond before she met his gaze with her own terror-filled eyes. “You don’t understand, Peter. My father and our Alpha are on their way here, the same two who are so protective they shipped me off to another country to try to keep me safe. That video we filmed was explicit sexual content to their eyes. They know everything that happened between me and Rafael, and when they get here Talia will know we haven’t fully claimed each other yet. All she’s going to think is that I’m making the same mistakes again, falling into a potentially abusive relationship with a Dom. She still thinks you’re unstable, Peter. I can’t have her trying to take you away from me, I just can’t.  Dad and Talia love my pies—it’s not much, but I’m going to make them pies with the berries I picked, and meat pies from the rabbits you caught for me. I need to show Talia I’m serious about this.”

Peter couldn’t help but wrap her tightly into his arms. How was his mate not a wolf? He had never seen a human take to their customs so naturally before. His mate wanted to form a united front with him to show their Alpha and her father that as a mated pair they were capable of providing for the pack. The rabbits and berries wouldn’t be a big gesture. Traditionally he would bring down a deer, or they would as a pair and she would prepare it, but as a last-minute effort the gesture would still hold true.

He moved his hands to cup Stiles’ face gently. “Look at me, Stiles.”

She hesitated before moving her eyes to meet his, wide with panic, her chest still heaving from her rant.

Peter’s gaze was fierce when he spoke, his determination echoing through their bond. “Whatever happens, Stiles, they are not going to keep us apart. I’d sooner be an omega than be without you. I’ve been away from my alpha for ten years; I’m strong enough to resist an order from her, especially when it’s regarding my mate.”

Stiles’ face fell into a scowl, anger burning hot through their bond. “Peter, they’re your family! She can’t do this to you. I love Talia like a second mother, but she needs to realize that what she did to you was wrong and she can’t just keep hurting you like this. I can almost guarantee you that if both of us left the pack, it would split it apart. If I was a wolf she wouldn’t even think of trying to take you away from me, and I refuse to rush into our claiming just because of her. There has to be a way to make them see that this isn’t the unhealthy relationship they’re probably thinking it is.”

Peter watched her thoughts running a mile a minute behind her eyes. He was always fascinated by how her mind worked. He could almost hear her thinking, she projected so loudly.

Stiles suddenly grinned brightly and he felt her fierce triumph. “I have the perfect idea. I just need to text the others so they have instructions when they wake up, and you’re going to help me pick more fruit so I can start baking.”

Peter sighed, letting Stiles go and pretending to be put out before bending down to start picking raspberries. The repetitive motion was soothing.

He thought he heard the camera shutter from Stiles’ cellphone, but when he turned, she was busy texting, completely ignoring him.

Once she was done texting, she joined him. They had enough blueberries and raspberries for Stiles pies in no time.

Half an hour later Peter sat at the dining room table. The dogs lay at his feet, Leroy with his head on his foot as Peter watched his mate with hungry eyes. She floated around his kitchen in a surplice apron she had bought from a Mennonite stand on their last trip to the farmers’ market.  It covered a beautiful light blue vintage (Peter preferred the term ‘thrifted’ but Stiles’ glare made him curb his tongue) 1940s dress she had changed into after a shower. Her hair was pulled away from her face by a wide fabric band, and she had a little bit of flour on her nose from the pie crusts she was preparing. 

So sue him; the image of his mate barefoot and looking small and feminine while providing for the pack hit a very primal spot inside of him.

Once she was done with the pie crust he watched her prepare the meats: the last of the venison cuts from his kill a few months back, the rabbits he had caught for her, and some local ground beef they had bought straight from a nearby neighbor’s farm. It was all assembled and the pies filled.

Once she was done, she moved on to the fruit pies. The sugar slowly turned the fruits into syrup, which she added to her pies with a bit of corn starch to thicken it.

She placed the first few pies into the oven to bake and then quickly started on the pack’s breakfast, knowing the smell of the pies would have them descending in no time.

When the rest of the pack finally emerged from behind closed doors, Stiles had french toast, maple syrup, bacon, and a large amount of cut-up fruits artfully set up on a platter, all settled on the table, and she was whipping some cream for the french toast.

They all sat down quietly and waited for Stiles to settle into her seat next to Peter before helping themselves.

The tense quiet finally broke when Isaac groaned, his mouth stuffed with French toast but somehow managing to mumble, “It’s delicious, Mom, thanks.”

His cheeks burned bright red when he realized what he’d called her, and the rest of the pack chuckled.

Cora playfully ruffled his fair. “It’s okay, Isaac. You haven’t been a werewolf very long and you haven’t experienced this part of pack dynamic yet, since our pack is split up. Stiles is pack mom. She’s a natural provider and nurturer.  Once she joined our pack she just naturally slid into the position.”

Erica and Boyd frowned in confusion right along with Isaac. “Pack mom?” Erica asked.

Cora and Derek turned their gazes to Peter before Cora spoke up, an amused smirk on her face. “Want to answer this one since you’re the senior pack member here?”

He huffed. “Little shit, never call me that again if you value your life. I’m not a senior quite yet.”

He waited for the snickering to die down, enjoying the playful squeeze Stiles gave to his leg as she choked down her own laughter. “Like Cora mentioned, Stiles is pack mom. Packs are a family; they’re not meant to be run in a military fashion. In most alphas, the instinct to protect their territory and their pack is imperative. Though most are nurturing and providers as well, the main instinct that drives an alpha is protection. In packs that are large enough, a pack mom usually surfaces. It’s often the alpha’s mate, but not always. The pack mom’s instincts are to feed and provide for their pack. They also have a strong drive to tend to the pack’s physical and mental well-being. They do, however tend to be just as protective as the alpha over their pups. Most of the time in a large packs he or she acts as a second alpha, in some cases actually being equal to the alpha in standing.”

The trio’s eyes were wide in surprise as they listened raptly. Isaac spoke up. “Is that why I feel like I want to snuggle her all the time, even though I have no attraction whatsoever to her?”

Stiles laughed. “Aww Isaac sweetie, I’ll snuggle you anytime you want!”

Peter snorted. “Yes, you probably already noticed how much the pack already has a tendency to touch Stiles a lot. She has a calming effect on us due to her position, as well as her natural loving nature.”

Stiles teasingly pinched Peter’s cheek, then leaned in and kissed it before winking at Isaac. “So basically, Isaac, you can call me Mom all you want, it doesn’t hurt me any.”

The pack laughed once again, the happy sound filling the kitchen.

They chattered as they finished their breakfast and helped clear the table.

Once they were done and the kitchen was clean once again, Stiles checked the time and turned to the pack.  “Alright guys, we have an hour before the rest of the pack arrives. Did you all get my text and get that taken care of?”

The pack nodded and Stiles visually relaxed. “Erica can you contact the queens and ask if they can send what they have also, and add it to the rest? Peter, can I have your phone for a little bit? It’s better if I keep this secret for now. I don’t need you reeking smugness around our alpha, it won’t win her over. Can you feed the dogs and then take them for a walk, get a bit of their energy out before everyone gets here?”

Peter huffed and rolled his eyes before moving to the cupboard where he had stored the dog food. His eyes never left his mate as she took her apron off and then made her way to his room, hips swaying mesmerizingly in her dress.

Esme’s whine brought his attention down to where she was dancing on her hind legs. Henry and Leroy quietly watched him with wide eyes as if afraid to blink and miss the food, obviously knowing what he had been reaching for.

Shaking his head he quickly fed the dogs and then brought them outside, using the small wheelchair access ramp the pack had built for Leroy.

He set off at an easy pace for the dogs. Leroy was getting into shape by leaps and bounds, but he still got a little stiff if he was overworked.

He enjoyed the start of fall, which was coming in with just a slight chill in the air. They returned with twenty minutes to spare. Peter was greeted by a hug and kiss from a very smug-looking Stiles.

Peter couldn’t resist squeezing her back, his lips grazing her forehead gently. “Get everything you need done?”

Stiles nodded with a smile and gave Peter back his cellphone. “It’s not much, but hopefully it will be enough to prove to them that we are serious about this and you’re not another Rafael.  I still don’t understand why she’s so threatened by you, and why she would think you would hurt me. She’s your sister. She should know that even though you can be an ass and you’re a sassy narcissist, you’re not some Bond villain set to take over the world.”

Peter sighed deeply. “There are probably two reasons for that. Talia most likely feels threatened by me because she knows what I’m capable of. I’ve always been good at being her second, because I can talk my way out of anything and I’m a master manipulator.  I’m also just as strong as she is, and she knows that if I really wanted to be alpha, there’s a good chance I could defeat her. She should know that I’ve only ever done everything in my power to keep my pack safe and I chose to submit to her, but somewhere deep inside she’s still scared of what I can do.

“As for why she thinks I would hurt you— Talia learnt rather early on what my sexual tastes ran to. She walked in on a scene I had with a couple I saw on and off as a teenager. She ripped into me about how as werewolves we have to keep control, and beating someone was not exercising control. Talia has never been able to grasp that BDSM is about being safe, sane, and consensual, and not about abusing someone. I’ve tried to explain it to her, but she’s never wanted to listen. Your experience with Rafael most likely cemented that mindset.”

Stiles sighed deeply. “You’ll have to explain to her clearly that you’re not going to usurp her. Dear god, I never thought I’d be using that word in a conversation in my life.  As for the BDSM aspect, hopefully my dad can help. We had a huge conversation about the lifestyle after he overheard me on the phone with Claire and Marcus. I was telling them a little bit of what happened, enough to get him blacklisted from any clubs that Marcus and Claire frequent, and from the local community should he ever go back there.  Dad will back us up if she’s letting it affect her views on us.”

Peter held her tightly, blocking his emotions, not wanting her to feel the utter hurt and defeat he felt, thinking of his sister. He knew he’d made mistakes, let his pride and arrogance paint him rather negatively, but he had never once put anything over the importance of pack. But the fact that his sister had sent him away didn’t send the rage and hate flowing through him like it used to. His mate had helped him slowly heal and let go of that resentment, inch by inch. She showed him the joy and love that could be found in pack, renewed his loyalty and devotion to keeping his pack and now his mate safe.

He heard the hum of two vehicles down the road and separated from Stiles, keeping her hand in his as the rest of the pack joined them at the door.  “They’re almost here. Are you ready?”

Stiles met his eyes and nodded firmly. “Whatever happens, I’m with you.”

He squeezed her hand tightly and they all made their way outside to wait for their alpha to arrive. Peter and Stiles stood in the front holding hands; the rest of the pack was at their back, presenting a united front.

The two black SUVs came into view. They parked, and he watched his sister, his niece, and a pile of strangers who smelled like pack disembark. Stiles practically vibrated next to him, joy vibrating through their bond at the sight of her father and pack mates. When she turned her gaze to him a smile on her face, eyes questioning, he couldn’t help but smile back and nod, giving her hand a final squeeze before letting go.

She quickly acknowledged her alpha with a smile and hug, each gently scenting each other. Talia finally scoffed, amused, and pushed her away. “Go, ahead, hug him, I can practically feel you vibrating impatience.”

She threw herself into her father’s arms and the older man held her back just as tightly, greeting her with a soft, “Hey, kiddo.”

Stiles hugged the sheriff tighter and softly mumbled, “I missed you, Dad.”

He gave a teary chuckle. “Missed you too, kid.”

They separated, and the rest of the pack converged on Stiles. Peter felt conflicted. He was blissfully happy to see his mate’s joy at the sight of her friends, whom she had missed so much, but at the same time he felt jealousy that he had lost his mate’s attention so easily.

He acknowledged the jealousy and easily moved past it as his alpha came forward.

She hadn’t changed much in the ten years since he’d seen her. Maybe a few new laugh lines at the corner of her eyes, if that. She kept her expression neutral as she addressed him, her hand moving to clasp his neck gently in a casual scent-mark. “Peter, it’s nice to see you again.”

Peter tried to hold back his hurt as he returned the scent-mark. “You as well, Talia.”

She had scent-marked him like an alpha would a stranger, or a pack member of lesser import.

Talia moved to the rest of the pack and, as if sensing his turmoil, Stiles returned to his side, one arm wrapping around his waist. “So guys, this is Peter.”

The rest of the pack eyed him until the sheriff stepped forward, hand extended. “Sheriff Stilinski. We are going to be having a serious talk about your intentions towards my daughter.”

Stiles groaned in embarrassment, but Peter nodded solemnly. “I would expect no less, sir.”

The sheriff nodded and joined Talia to meet the rest of the pack, while Laura lunged forward. She flung herself into Peter’s arms, so desperate to scent-mark him that Peter almost received a mouthful of hair. “You finally got your head out of your ass, Uncle. I’m so happy.”

Peter bit back a bark of laughter but Stiles had no qualms, practically doubling over in mirth.

She finally let him go with one final playful tap to his cheek, and an obvious mated pair approached them. The young man gave him a once-over, his forehead creased in a small frown, and remained quiet.

Stiles finally spoke up after a moment. “This is my best friend, Scott, and his mate Allison. Scott, Allison, this is my mate Peter.”

Peter held his hand out to Scott and watched as the man’s eyes fell on it for a moment before he finally shifted forward. He hugged Peter quickly with a slap to the back and pulled back with a smile. “Make her happy, or I will make sure you regret ever being born.”

Peter nodded solemnly before Allison moved forward and gave him a hug and a kiss to the cheek. She gave him a dimpled smile before she was pulled away to greet the rest of the pack.

The last four pack members moved forward and Stiles introduced them. “The gorgeous strawberry-blonde goddess there is Lydia; the douchebag wannabe standing next to her is her boyfriend Jackson. Don’t let his prickly exterior fool you, deep inside he’s a big marshmallow.  The dimpled angel next to him is Danny, hacker extraordinaire, and Bambi eyes is Deputy Parrish.”

 They each greeted him, Lydia hugging him and kissing his cheek, Jackson shaking his hand, Danny offering him a hug and back slap like Scott had done, and Parrish shaking his hand and slapping his arm.

Once the greetings were finished Talia finally spoke. “Peter, we need to speak with you the office. John, Laura, if you would follow me.”

Peter met Stiles’ gaze, squeezing her hand tightly. She smiled encouragingly. “Go speak with her, I’ll make sure Derek or Cora let me know if things go south.”

He leaned to kiss her forehead gently before following his alpha back inside, feeling like he was being led to the gallows.

When they entered the office, the click of the door closing felt like a gunshot. He was barely able to stop himself from flinching.

Talia seated herself at his desk, Laura and the Sheriff at her back. Laura, as next in line to become Alpha, stood at her right, and the Sheriff stood where he as her second should be, on her left.

When Talia finally met his gaze, hers was closed and cool, her tempered alpha face that she used when settling pack affairs. “I just have one question, Peter. Have you claimed Stiles yet?”

Peter shook his head slowly. “Neither of us was ready for the claiming. We’re taking things slow.”

Talia’s clasped her hands together, resting them on the desk. “Then it’s settled. We will move Stiles to another, more secure location as soon as possible.”

Peter barely noticed Laura’s gasp of shock or the Sheriff’s step back. His breathing grew shallow, pain radiating through his chest.

He wanted to howl in sadness and pain. He could barely meet his alpha’s eyes as he finally managed to rasp out, “My mate, Talia? You would take my mate away from me? After everything you’ve done to me. After everything I’ve lost. What have I ever done to make you hate me so much?”

The door opened with a crash before Talia had a chance to open her mouth to speak. His mate was radiant in her fury, eyes flashing and body trembling with emotion as she placed herself protectively between their him and their alpha. “Are you fucking kidding me, Talia!? After everything you’ve done to him?”

Stiles lifted her hand, cutting off her father when he moved to chastise her. “No Dad, she needs to hear this, it’s due time. “

Stiles shifted slightly before she spoke again. “Talia, I love you like a second mother but right now I could smack you. After everything you’ve done to Peter, you would try to take me away from him, knowing that we’re true mates? Do you have any idea how much damage you did to him when you sent him away? You’re not the only one who lost pack after that fire, Talia! Peter lost pack mates, his wife and his unborn child. He was mourning and needed his pack; he needed his family, his sister! And what did you do? You sent him away, banished him as if you were blaming him for the fire! You never once blamed Derek for what happened, why would you do that to Peter? Then you were told that Peter had started refusing pack touch. That should have been a huge sign that something was wrong, and yet you ignored it. You’re not only his alpha, but also his sister, and you failed him! Haven’t you done enough to hurt him?”

She moved forward, placing a USB drive down on the desk before moving to grab Peter’s hand. “I suggest you take a look at what’s inside before you make your decision on whether Peter is another Rafael set on hurting me. Peter and I are heading to my house. We’ll bring a few pack mates with us, but right now I’m too angry to not say something I’ll regret. I don’t want to see you until you go through that and really take time to think on what you’ve done. And if you try to take my mate away from me Talia, I will leave the pack; I do not do well with having my mate threatened.”

Peter watched as Derek stepped forward and dropped a CD alongside the USB drive. “This was assembled by the pack and a few other friends for when Stiles is able to use Facebook again, so she would have memories of the early days of her mating. We felt it was a good idea to share this with you so you can have an outside view of Stiles and Peter’s real relationship. Don’t judge them on a fictional music video that honestly wasn’t even their idea to film in the first place.”

Laura stepped forward to stand next to Derek. “I kept this from you because I knew this was how you would react if you learnt the truth. You were never here to see Peter hiding his pain behind his anger and snark. It was like he was stuck in a stage of grief that couldn’t move past. When Stiles showed up, they both slowly helped each other heal. They’re good for each other, Mom, and I stand behind them in this.”

Laura and Derek followed Peter and Stiles out of the door as they met the rest of the pack in the living room.

“Peter and I are heading to my house for a while. I’m sure you’ve heard everything in there; it’s your decision if you want to stay here or come with us. I won’t hold it against you if you don’t want to come,” Stiles said.

The whole pack followed the pair out, leaving Talia and the Sheriff to look at the photos and videos they were given.

~*~

Talia sighed deeply, hunching slightly in defeat before feeling John’s hand squeeze her shoulder gently. “Are they right? Am I a horrible alpha?”

John paused choosing his words carefully. “I don’t think they were implying that. You made decisions while grieving that might not have been the best decisions. It can happen to the strongest of people. When Claudia died I worked a lot and when I wasn’t working, I drank heavily. I wasn’t always there for her like I should have been.  Stiles had panic attacks after she died and learnt all the codes for the scanner. I often found her asleep curled up around it. After I started hiding the scanner, she moved on to controlling my diet.”

They both chuckled softly at the last comment before Talia sighed softly reaching for Stiles’ USB drive. “We should probably get started on these.”

John pulled a chair over and sat next to her as she pulled up the photos and videos.

The first group of photos was obviously taken by Stiles; she’d always been a shutterbug. Laughter and happiness oozed from the photographs.

All the photos were dated and had comments in the file names. 

The earlier photos were of Peter in wolf form. Some were selfies of Stiles, looking relaxed, lying in the grass with wolf-Peter sleeping with his head in her lap.

There were two consecutive photos, one of Peter sitting regally with a rabbit in his mouth and the following one with him looking sheepish, having deposited the rabbit at Stiles’ feet.  Both of those files had the comment: _“Big Bad proving he is capable of providing for his mate.”_

One of the earlier photos were he wasn’t a wolf was a photo of Peter and Stiles lying in a huge mound of blankets with a Golden Retriever with his hind legs amputated lying between them. This must have been the same dog she had seen at the house with the wheels strapped to him. The note read, _“Peter paid for Leroy’s expensive operation and arranged for me to adopt him. This was our first time meeting him.”_

Stiles beamed at the camera, arm wrapped around the dog. Peter’s gaze was on Stiles, warm and content.

The next photo made Talia’s breath hitch. Peter was in the middle of a large pack pile, Cora and Derek snuggled up to him with Erica, Boyd, and Isaac lying curled up next to them.

Peter looked peaceful in sleep, arms wrapped around Derek, while Cora was wrapped around him like a little spider monkey. Peter’s prickly armor he showed to the world was gone, a small smile tugging his lips.

The following photo was obviously taken in stealth and was of Peter leaning into Derek and giving him a gentle cheek nuzzle, both of them smiling.

Talia inhaled deeply through her nose, fighting back the wave of emotions that overwhelmed her at seeing how much having Stiles in their lives had changed both her son and her brother.

She continued looking at the photos, reading the caption to find out who the ladies were in the next photo. _“I met these wonderful drag queens at the bar and Peter made it possibly to really befriend them by inviting them out to the restaurant as a thank-you for keeping me safe.”_

Talia looked closely at the photo and couldn’t help but smile, remembering Derek’s stories about Stile’s affinity for drag queens.

Peter and Stiles were sitting in the middle at a fancy table, the photo obviously taken by the waiter. The queens had shuffled their chairs closer for the photo. A lovely voluptuous African American queen had her arm gently around Stiles and a redhead was squeezing Peter’s arm with grin on her face. The other four girls hugged the person sitting next to them, with big bright smiles.

The next photo warmed Talia’s heart. Peter was leaning over Cora, clearly giving her instructions as she poured tea at a table decorated with fine china and what looked like delicious finger sandwiches and sweets.

Talia had always teased Peter about being a tea snob. He always had to make sure the water temperature was just so, and the tea was brewed perfectly. No one else was allowed to touch the kettle if guests were being served in the house.

The following file was actually a video and not a photo.  The Drag queens were back in this one; everyone was clearly dressed in club wear, walking down a street at night. Peter was face-to-face with a man. The sound was garbled, but he was clearly being his normal, snarky self, telling the man in a scathing voice that if he ever saw him disrespecting a lady like that again he would have to answer to him.

One of the women pretended to swoon, squeezing Peter’s bicep gently and calling him her hero. The rest of the ladies cat-called and yelled out suggestive comments as the other man retreated hastily. Peter turned to Stiles, his eyes falling on the camera, and he raised a brow before asking if she was recording. Stiles responded with a giggle, saying she had to record his daring rescue for posterity.

The screen went black and Talia moved onto another photo, which had the caption, _“I think that Cora is Peter’s favorite.”_

Derek was obviously trying to get a chocolate chip cookie from the Rubbermaid container that Peter was holding. Peter was hoarding them, his mouth obviously stuffed with one. The angle of the shot was perfect to show both Derek looking frustrated and Cora, behind Peter, being stealthily passed a cookie.

The next photo was of Peter bent down picking raspberries, with the note, _“Peter helping to provide food for the pack. These berries are going to make a wonderful pie.”_

That was the final photo in the USB drive that Stiles had given her. Talia took it out and grabbed the CD that Derek had given them and placed it into the tray, waiting for it to load.

The first photo she brought up of was Stiles in the kitchen, wearing her apron. Peter had obviously snuck up behind her and done something, and the photo caught her mid-swirl, her skirts lightly blurred in movement and she pointed her finger in his face, obviously chastising him. Peter wore a giant smile, mischief shining from his eyes.

The next photo was most likely taken by Erica; her iPhone took some amazing photos.  Stiles and Peter were running down the trail, the sun peeking through the trees. The dogs ran alongside them, including Leroy. Stiles was looking into Peter’s eyes, laughing lightly, and although Peter was more subdued, he radiated happiness.

The next photo caused both John and Talia to laugh. She remembered her call with Cora and the mention of the costumes, but she’d never seen any photos.

Peter, Stiles, Derek, and Cora were at what was obviously a convention. Stiles flashed her Multipass as Leeloo from the Fifth Element. Peter had one arm around her, the other pointing a gun at the camera. Cora was making some kind of flight attendant hand pose, and Derek stood next to them, looking rather unimpressed but still posing.

The following one was Stiles and Peter curled up together on the couch. Stiles’ head was on Peter’s shoulder, Peter absentmindedly petting her hair as they watched a movie with the rest of the pack.

Once again Erica had taken a photo of Stiles and Peter running. This time Peter was in wolf form, running along with Stiles, both with looks of intense concentration on their faces, the dogs mirroring them.

Talia’s lips quirked gently as she clicked on the next photo.

They were definitely at the club where the pole dancing had been recorded. Both of them were leaning against the stage; Peter had his head tilted back in laughter, and Stiles was looking back at him, beaming with pleasure at his reaction to whatever had happened.

The next file was a video. Fluid writing on the opening screen stated that this was the blooper reel for the Lick music video.

It started with Stiles and Peter moving down the trails, Stiles lip-synching and walking while Peter stared at her hungrily from behind. Then suddenly Stiles tripped on something, and Peter snorted as the camera moved to show Stiles sprawled on the ground, laughing and asking for someone to help her up. Peter gently picked her off the ground and wiped away the leaves that had stuck to her cloak.

It then skipped from one scene after another of Stiles making funny faces at the camera while getting her makeup done, before switching to Peter in what looked like a club. A voice asked Peter if he was nervous about seeing Stiles perform, since she’d heard this was his first time seeing her dance in person.

Peter huffed slightly and said that he was looking forward to seeing all the training she had been doing finally put into effect outside of random photo texts.

Loud catcalls and hoots could be heard as Peter’s eyes fell on something off camera, his gaze intense. The camera moved away, showing Stiles in her glittery, revealing red and black pole-dancing ensemble.

The video then transitioned into Stiles in a bustier and undies giggling and trying extremely hard to stay serious while kneeling. She apologized every so often before bursting into giggles again. The blooper reel moved from one take to another with music in the background while Stiles crawled towards the camera, trying to look sultry before cracking up yet again. Peter and Derek were yelling at Stiles to be serious, and she told them to strip down to their undies and try it themselves if they thought they could do it better than her.  

When both of them stayed quiet, she rolled her eyes at the camera and smirked. “I thought so.”

The next scene they recognized as the one that had incensed both the sheriff and Talia.

Stiles was lying in bed in barely anything while Peter crawled over her, moving to tie her hands to the bed post. It was supposed to be an intense scene, but it was broken by Stiles once again bursting into giggles.

Peter huffed, amused, and Stiles blurted out, “I feel like we’re filming a porno, for god sakes.”

Peter laughed alongside her. “Trust me, Stiles, if we were filming a porno you would know.”

Stiles giggled once more and they nuzzled each other, exchanging soft, gentle looks.

The video faded to black and the sheriff and Talia eyes met each other’s eyes for a moment. A deep sense of regret washed over Talia for her earlier actions towards her brother.

Talia finally broke the silence, her voice uneven. “I think I’ve seen enough, have you?”

Sheriff Stilinski’s eyes fell on the screen. “There’s one last video; we owe it to them to watch it all.”

She nodded. They opened up the last video file and watched as Peter stood in the kitchen, arms crossed tightly against his chest, shaking his head and mouthing, “No.”

Stiles grinned, shaking her hips lightly, wooden spoon in hand as a microphone as she curved her back, lip-synching, “Whoa, there’s something on my mind, won’t somebody please, please tell me what’s wrong?”

The beat finally started and Stiles started to move her hips and shimmy her shoulders, one arm reaching out for Peter, demanding a dance.

Peter stood fast in his decision. ”I am not dancing, Stiles.”

Stiles twirled, grin on her face, hair thrown back passionately, getting into her song. “You’re just a fool, you know you’re in love; you’ve got to face it, to let it explode. You take the good along with the bad, sometimes you’re happy and sometimes you’re sad. You know you love him, you can’t understand, why he treats you like he do when he’s such a good man.”

She bent forward, grabbing Henry’s paws gently as he excitedly jumped up and singing to him, gently dancing him around. “He’s got me smiling when I should be ashamed, got me laughing when my heart is in pain. Oh no, I must be a fool, but I’ll do anything he wants me to do.”

She finally let Henry go and he barked excitedly, jumping in the air while Stiles turned towards Peter, her hand extended once more.

A shriek of laughter was wrenched out of her as he finally grabbed her hand and twirled her around rapidly, obviously an experienced dancer.

Stiles’ laughter was high and clear, full of happiness as she was pulled closer to Peter. Their hips met in a soft sway before Peter pushed her away once again in a twirl.

Peter’s features softened into a gentle smile, laughter hiding behind his eyes as he joined in on the song. “You’re just a fool; you know you’re in love. You’ve got to face it to live in this world. You take the good along with the bad. Sometimes you’re happy and sometimes you’re sad.”

The kitchen timer beeped and Peter and Stiles stood a moment longer in each other’s arms, playful, amused looks on their faces, before they finally separated and the screen went black.

The sheriff’s hand flew to his face as he groaned. “Ah crap…”

Talia sighed in agreement. “They’re definitely true mates… And completely, irrevocably in love. I really screwed up, didn’t I?”

John sighed deeply. “I think we were both so wrapped up in what happened to her with Rafael, we refused to even think that she might be able to move on so quickly, even with finding her mate.”

Talia shook her head softly. “Even without that. Everything I did to my brother; I really failed him. And after all that, I tried to take his mate away. Born wolves know better than to ever try to separate true mates. Mourning packmates is no excuse. Not as an alpha, and definitely not as a sister.”

His hand gently squeezed her shoulder. “At least you’re realizing that now. It might not be too late to make amends and become family again.”

She met the sheriff’s eyes with her own somber gaze and asked wearily, “So what do we do now?”

He sighed deeply but remained silent, as unsure as their alpha about how to rectify this situation.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When Peter’s gaze returned to the road, the world seemed to explode.
> 
> She heard a loud boom just before the view from outside spun out of control and pain shot through her body, causing her to black out momentarily.
> 
> When she managed to come back to herself, her head was throbbing and her eyesight was blurry. Every movement caused her stomach to heave. She called out to Peter, unable to see him anywhere in the car.
> 
> The first thought that came to her mind was that Peter had a bad habit of not putting his seatbelt on. What if he had been ejected from the vehicle?
> 
> Her senses finally calmed enough for her to focus on Peter’s voice. She couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, but her gaze followed the direction of the sound to see her mate standing in front of another man, growls echoing from his chest. Suddenly gunshot echoed across the street, and passersby stared in shock as Peter crumpled to the ground.
> 
> Stiles could hear a shrill noise that caused her head to explode with pain. It wasn’t until she saw Rafael McCall’s face as he opened up her side door that she realized the noise was her screaming.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 03/02/2015 - Officially BETAD by the wonderful Bitchinachinashop!! It's been a great run and thank you so much for working with me on this story. I couldn't have done it without you!
> 
> This chapter took forever to write. I've never had such a bad writers block in my life and then afterwards I had a convention and work and health issues(I suffer from Chronic fatigue from a few different health issues I have). But once I got passed it I was pretty happy with how it came out. It is NOT Betad yet and I'm sure it has lots of grammar mistakes. English is not my first language sadly lol. PLUS I JUST finished this and loaded it right up cause I know many of you are just as excited as I am about this. If you don't like stories with mistakes. Bitchinachinashop should have this BETA'd pretty soon I promise!
> 
> It is also 4 AM so keep in mind I might come back read this and be like what the hell was I thinking and change stuff too! XD.
> 
> Once again thank you to my lovely Cheerleader FaeryCastle who listens to me bitch and whine every step of the way and who lets me know if what I’m writing is utter crap or if it works. There are times when I’m writing at four in the morning, exhausted and not quite sure! She keeps pestering me for chapter updates and to stop reading fan fiction and keep writing. There would be no story without this woman, I swear to god.
> 
> And thank you to my lovely Beta bitchinachinashop for Betaing for me!

When Talia and the sheriff finally made it to Stiles' home, Laura met them with barely concealed anger. "Stiles and Peter aren’t here. They went to the store to get groceries because Stiles is convinced she needs to cook a special dish for her alpha. She’s worried sick and desperate for your approval, and Peter is so pathetically in love with her that he can’t deny her anything."

Talia couldn’t help but flinch at the reproach. “Laura, I know I made a mistake. I-“

Laura cut her off before she could continue, rage overcoming her, causing her to scream. “A mistake? Mom, what the hell were you thinking!? You were the one who taught us that no one comes between true mates! Stiles is the best thing to ever happen to him—to us all, if I’m completely honest. You were never there to see how he shut people out. You never once visited. I kept my mouth shut because I knew you were grieving, like we all were. But to come here for the first time since you sent him away and demand that his mate be sent away? What did he ever do to deserve that, Mom? Please enlighten me.”

She took a deep breath, squaring her shoulders before meeting her daughter’s eyes. “You’re right. I did make a huge mistake. I have no excuse for what I did, and nothing I say will truly make anything better. I was mourning the loss of family members and pack, and it clouded my judgment on how to keep my pack safe, both when I sent Peter away and now with Stiles. Back then, I was scared of what Peter was truly capable of in his grief. Peter has always been stronger than me, manipulative and cunning.  We always knew the only reason I became alpha was because he ceded that right to me. I was worried that he would try to disobey my orders and go after Kate, starting a war with the hunters, or try to take the title of Alpha from me in order to get vengeance. I should have dealt with it better than I did. I should have kept him with us, where he could have had comfort from the whole pack to help him heal, especially after you told me he’d started to refuse pack touch. With Stiles, I just knew what kind of tastes Peter usually leaned towards, and knowing Stiles’ history, I worried she would end up in the exact same position she did with Rafael. I should have known better. He always treated Eleanor like she could walk on water, even before she was pregnant. I should have known his mate would get the exact same treatment, if not better.”

The pack had gathered behind Laura while their alpha spoke. Talia looked to them, waiting for someone to speak up.

It was Derek who came forward, eyebrows pulled down in his regular brooding manner. "How are you planning to fix this mess, then?"

Talia and the sheriff turned to each other, matching worry on their faces as they wondered if anything they said could ever fix this.

~*~

Stiles helped Peter place the groceries into the car. Having changed into a t-shirt, jeans, and knee-high boots for the trip, she shivered. The weather had turned slightly chilly.

Peter slipped his leather jacket off of his shoulders and passed it to Stiles, who slipped it on with a grateful smile before they both continued putting groceries away.

Peter huffed as he placed the last grocery bag into the trunk. He seated himself behind the wheel of his Mercedes and waited while Stiles put her seatbelt on. “Stiles, I think you may have gone a bit overboard.”

Stiles snorted, but stayed silent as Peter drove out of the grocery store parking lot and made his way onto Main Street.

Peter’s hand landed gently onto hers as he turned his gaze to her for a moment. “You do know that no one is going to take me away from you, right? We’ll figure this out.”

Stiles nodded, giving Peter a tentative smile.

When Peter’s gaze returned to the road, the world seemed to explode.

She heard a loud boom just before the view from outside spun out of control and pain shot through her body, causing her to black out momentarily.

When she managed to come back to herself, her head was throbbing and her eyesight was blurry. Every movement caused her stomach to heave. She called out to Peter, unable to see him anywhere in the car.

The first thought that came to her mind was that Peter had a bad habit of not putting his seatbelt on. What if he had been ejected from the vehicle?

Her senses finally calmed enough for her to focus on Peter’s voice. She couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, but her gaze followed the direction of the sound to see her mate standing in front of another man, growls echoing from his chest. Suddenly gunshot echoed across the street, and passersby stared in shock as Peter crumpled to the ground.

Stiles could hear a shrill noise that caused her head to explode with pain. It wasn’t until she saw Rafael McCall’s face as he opened up her side door that she realized the noise was her screaming.

She fought to stay conscious as Rafael moved forward to gently rub her cheek. “I missed you, baby. Now let’s get you out of this car so we can get reacquainted, shall we?”

Stiles fought it with all her might but when he finally unbuckled her seatbelt she felt the blackness swallow up.

~*~

The pack had just started to worry about what was taking Stiles and Peter so long when Laura’s phone rang.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket and looked down at the caller ID with a frown. “Hi Genevieve. How are you?”

The panicked voice could be heard even by the humans in the room. “Laura, I know you’re not in town but I didn’t know who else to contact. It’s horrible. Someone sideswiped your uncle’s Benz. He somehow managed to get out of the car even though it was upside down, but then a group of people with guns stepped out of the SUV that hit him and one of the men just shot him. The others dragged him into the back of the SUV while the man who shot him pulled Stiles out of the car. They drove off before the police could get here.”

The whole pack shot up off their chairs as Laura received the location information from Genevieve, making it to the crash site in a speed much faster than was really safe. Genevieve was in the middle of being interviewed by two police officers when the pack arrived.

Sheriff Stilinski was the first to greet the RCMP officers and debrief them on the situation with Rafael McCall, allowing Talia and the others to inconspicuously take in the scene. It was Derek who caught the scent first, ignoring the officers’ cries for him to stay behind the “do not cross” tape.

It was laying there inconspicuously, just waiting for him to pick it up, the familiar scent wafting from it causing Derek’s stomach to roil. He stood frozen in place, staring at a silver pendant with the Argent insignia, obviously left there as a sign. Panic overwhelmed him.

Talia’s hand gently pressed against his shoulder and soothed him enough to take a gasping breath. Finally, he managed to rasp out, “Kate was here…”

~*~

When Stiles came back to consciousness, it took everything she had not to cry out from the pain throbbing at her temple. Chris Argent’s training kicked in, the words he’d kept repeating to her and Allison echoing in her mind _. Fight the pain, overcome it, and keep your heartbeat steady. Just a few seconds to take in your surroundings might save your life._

She assessed her situation, trying to stay as calm as possible. Her hands were bound behind her back, and she was sitting on a wooden chair. She didn’t dare shift to see what kind of condition it was in, for risk of alerting anyone in the room that she was awake.

Keeping her eyes closed, she could hear someone moving around to her right, and then footsteps echoing as they approached her. She could only gasp at the shock when she felt ice water hit her face. She blinked the water away.

A dark chuckle came from somewhere above the long legs standing in front of her. “Good, you’re awake.”

Her neck protested having to look up at Rafael, and she couldn’t help being snarky. “Do you ever stop growing?”

Rafael chuckled as if amused, for once ignoring her mouthing off. “I missed you, Stiles.”

Stiles tried to listen to her years of training. She heard Chris’s voice echoing in her mind. _Don’t antagonize your captor. When in doubt, try to buy yourself time._  

Unfortunately years of training couldn’t overcome her hatred for Rafael McCall. “That makes one of us.”

Rafael tutted. “You’ve been a bad girl, Stiles. Running away, hiding, letting some animal touch what’s mine.”

Stiles felt rage overwhelm her as she snarled. “Fuck you, Raf. You lost the right to call me yours the day you started beating me and ignoring my safe word, and you’re fucking stupid if you think I’d ever go back to you! Peter is not an animal. He respects me, and he’s more of a man than you ever will be.

The blow shouldn’t have come as a surprise, but it did. Stars burst through her vision, causing tears to fall down her face and blood to trickle down the side of her mouth.

Rafael kneeled in front of her, his eyes hard with anger, a cruel smile on his face. “That’s where you’re wrong, Stiles. You are mine and I will prove it to you. First, by gutting that animal you call a mate while you watch. I’m going to pull his entrails out of his body, and then rip his heart straight out of his chest. Once I’m done with him, I’m going to pick off each member of your pack one by one, and make you watch as I torture and kill them. You’ll see how strong I am and how much control I have, how I can take away everyone you love so you have only me left. No one else left to influence you or encourage you to act out like the spoiled brat you are.”

Her heart stopped at the mention of her pack. Helpless rage coursed through her body, causing tears to streak her cheeks.

Rafael leaned forward to catch one of her tears with his tongue, savoring the flavor as if it was a fine wine. A low hum of pleasure escaped him. “I missed the taste of your tears.”

Stiles felt something inside of her snap at the action that he’d done so many times before, delighting in seeing her tears. Her rage focused into something much calmer and more in control.

She took a deep breath, recalling Chris’s words again. _Channel your rage and fear. Don’t let it control you — hone it, turn it into an advantage. Anger gives you strength and speed, fear gives you hyper-awareness. Tamp down the urge to lash out, tamp down the urge to escape. Use what others would consider weakness and turn it into strength._

She sent her head swinging, the uninjured side of her skull making contact with Rafael’s jaw, causing him to fly backwards. She threw herself back the way she had been taught, the impact causing her chair to splinter under her. She managed to slip out of her bindings before Rafael got back onto his feet.

She anticipated his movement as he attempted to rush her and managed to use his momentum to her advantage, sending him careening against the wall. Her eyes quickly scanned the room for a weapon, landing on the assault rifle on the desk across the room. She didn’t hesitate, running as fast as she could towards the table, the sound of Rafael’s footsteps quickly gaining on her.

She’d just grabbed ahold of the rifle when he reached her. She managed to turn around and smash the butt of the rifle against his face, but he managed to keep his hold on her. He grappled with her for the rifle, but she refused to let go even when they tripped. Her body fell backwards, and her hand tightened against the trigger involuntarily.

She felt the spray against her face as Raf’s body jerked on top of her and then stilled.

Stiles froze, trying to still her panic at what had just happened. Finally she regained her strength and pushed Rafael off of her with shaky hands.

The barrel of the rifle had been under his chin when she had pressed the trigger; he’d been killed instantly. His eyes were open, and stared unblinkingly at her as his blood pooled on the ground under him. Stiles heaved but somehow managed to stop herself from vomiting, the rifle still clutched tightly in her shaking hands.

Turning her back on the sight, she took a few deep breaths and checked the rifle to make sure she still had enough rounds to defend herself. She grabbed the extra ammo that lying on the desk and looked around for other weapons she could use.

She managed to find a large KA-BAR military-issued knife and stashed it in her boot. The mace that she always carried on her now had been placed on the desk as well, so she pocketed it. There were also few handguns, thankfully with holsters; most likely the concealed weapons Rafael wore daily. He’d probably thought he would never need them when dealing with her. Rafael had always underestimated her, always saw her as the little girl he once knew. She slipped the holster belt on under her jacket and checked the clips, thankful for all the pockets on Peter’s jacket and her jeans.

Once she was done she quietly made her way out of the room she’d been held in and looked down the long hallway. Not seeing anyone, she slowly made her way down the corridor, realizing that she was in what seemed to be an old schoolhouse.

She managed to hide inside one of the classrooms just in time when she heard two men turning the corner into the hallway.

One of the men was a burlier guy who looked like he belonged in a motorcycle gang. He was about her height, with a trimmed goatee and a bandana wrapped around his bald head. The other one looked much too young to be involved in this. His gaze was worried, shifting around as if something was going to jump out at him at any moment.

She heard the younger man speaking to the man she coined as ‘Motor.’ “I don’t know, man. I get the wolf. But the girl is human. That’s not what we’re supposed to be about. And that McCall guy gives me the creeps.”

Motor snorted. “She’s a were-slut and a member of their pack. She deserves to be gutted right along with the rest of them.”

Stiles quietly placed her rifle down and took the KA-BAR out, knowing that drawing unnecessary attention to herself by firing weapons was not in her best interest right now.

She waited until they’d just passed her before throwing herself at Motor, thrusting her knife into his back as hard as she could, causing the man to heave one rattling breath before dropping to the ground.

The boy stared at her, eyes wide with panic, shakily pointing his gun at her chest.

Stiles willed herself to stay calm. Her gaze was steady, her hands forward but refusing to drop her knife. “Easy there. He was planning on killing me; you, on the other hand, were having second thoughts. I’m going to guess from the way you’re shaking that you’re new to this and definitely not trained by an Argent. Chris would never stand for that kind of reaction.”

The boy blurted out the first things that came to his mind, once again showing how much training he lacked. “You know Chris Argent?”

Stiles cocked a brow. “How do you think I took Rafael and that big lug out? Chris has been training me since Allison joined the Hale pack. Now, I can see that unlike this lug you’re not fully biased quite yet, so we have two options here. You can drop that gun and get out of here as fast as you can, and no one gets hurt.”

He looked back at her; he’d calmed somewhat, but his eyes still open too wide to pull off the sarcastic brow raise he was attempting. “And the other option?”

Stiles sighed deeply. “The other option I’m really hoping you don’t make me, do because you have the cutest puppy eyes and I really don’t want to have to hurt you. If you refuse to walk out of here, I’ll be forced to shove this knife between your ribs. And I can guarantee you won’t survive that, since I don’t have a cellphone to call an ambulance, and I have an even better aim than Chris when it comes to knives. Is your life really worth so little?”

He stared at her for a moment, gun still pointed at her, then finally lowered it. “This was never right; we have a code. I always thought that woman had a screw loose. Even more so once she enlisted that McCall guy. But the Argents’ word is always law.”

Stiles froze. “How many others are there, and who is the woman you’re speaking of?”

The boy looked surprised for a moment before he finally answered. “It was only the three of us, plus Kate Argent. She’s in with the wolf right now. We went to investigate when we heard the gunshot.”

Stiles stepped into his space, voice urgent. “Do you have a phone on you?”

He fished it out of his pocket and she grabbed it out of his hand. “Get out of here now before the others arrive.”

He didn’t have to be told twice, just turned tail and ran.

Stiles pulled up her location on Google maps quickly before dialing the number she had made sure to memorize years ago.

A gruff voice answered on the second ring. “Argent.”

She took a deep breath before speaking. “Chris, it’s Stiles.”

There was silence on the line for a moment before Chris finally shook off his surprise. “Stiles, where are you? The pack is worried–“

Stiles cut him off. “Chris, I don’t have much time. I’m sending you my coordinates; make sure the pack gets them. I’m calling you because I’m requesting the right to take someone out without repercussions from you and your family. Kate teamed up with Rafael to kidnap me and Peter. I managed to take out Rafael, but Kate still has Peter. I’m going to get him out, and I can guarantee you that she is not getting out of there alive if I have anything to say about it.”

Chris sighed deeply over the phone. “I knew this day would come. She stepped too far over the line and completely ignored the Code. By the time we finally realized what she’d done she and Gerard had already gone on the run. We have a Code for a reason. Victoria and I wrote her off years ago; she is no longer my sister. I won’t go after you or the pack if you take her out.”

Stiles was silent for a moment before speaking. “Thank you, Chris. I have to go. Make sure the pack gets my coordinates, I might need help getting Peter out of here and there are two bodies that need disposing of.”

They both disconnected and Stiles dropped the phone into the nearest garbage, slowly and quietly making her way along the hallways, trying to find Kate and Peter’s location.

~*~

Peter bit back a howl of pain as he felt the arrow shoved into his thigh, his breathing rattling from the aconite poisoning.

Kate had given him a limited cure, just enough to keep him from dying, but if he didn’t get a real cure within a few hours he would most likely die.

She smirked, one finger running down his bare chest, eyeing him like a piece of meat. “Mother Nature sure has a cruel sense of humor. Creating beasts like you and putting them in such perfectly sculpted packages. I hear Derek grew up in all the right places, too. When I last saw him he was just a slip of a boy, all awkward gangly limbs, didn’t even know what to do with them.”

Peter snarled, snapping his teeth and wrenching his body towards Kate, but she didn’t even flinch.

She laughed in his face, smirk firmly in place. “You only have yourself to blame, honey. I approached you first, but you were so pathetically in love with that bitch carrying your pups that you had no interest. Just think, maybe if you had taken me up on my offer you might’ve noticed everything and been able to stop me from burning them all alive.”

His body jerked as Kate electrocuted him once again with the cattle prods, cackling. “What’s even better is I took away your wife, and I put everything in motion to kill your mate, too. Mind you, I didn’t know she was your mate then. Funny how life is so full of coincidences. McCall showed up trying to get an old favor from my dad. Apparently, before he died, McCall helped sweep away evidence to keep him out of jail. He wanted help finding Stiles. Well, wasn’t I surprised when I started to research only to find that she was a member of the Hale pack?”

Her hand moved up his chest, caressing. “Your pack is pretty good, though; it wasn’t until that video popped up on YouTube that we were able to pinpoint your exact location. I got to know Rafael pretty good while we waited, and the plans he has for Stiles, well…even I’m not fucked up enough to come up with those ideas. I can only imagine what he’s doing to her right now.”

Peter roared, throwing himself against his bindings, jerking and thrashing so hard to get to Kate that one of his shoulders popped out of its socket, the electric current running through him not allowing it to heal.

It was only when he finally managed to come back from the pain that his senses picked up something. He wasn’t sure how he hadn’t noticed it before. His only excuse was being distracted by Kate taunting him and playing on his rage.

Somehow Stiles had managed to not only get into the room that they were in without detection, but she standing right behind Kate, an assault rifle in her hand and a look of pure unadultered rage on her face.

Kate must have seen the change in his reaction because she turned towards Stile just as she swung the butt of her rifle towards Kate, connecting with her face.

Kate took the hit but kept going, rushing Stiles and causing them both to tumble to the ground in a tangle of limbs

Peter had never felt more helpless in his life than he did watching his mate fight the woman responsible for attempting to burn his whole pack alive. It was like everything was in slow motion, yet too fast for him to grasp what was happening until he heard the loud noise of a gunshot and felt his blood run cold.

The two women were lying prone on the ground, and he couldn’t tell who had been hit. He heard one heartbeat, but even as close they were he couldn’t for the life of him make out whose heart was still beating.

Panic overwhelmed him as he called out,“Stiles? Stiles! Answer me! Stiles!”

A moment later he saw Kate’s lifeless body get shoved off of Stiles, and Peter felt he could breathe once more.

Stiles slowly got to her feet, battered and covered with blood, the majority of it thankfully not her own. “I think I’ve had enough lifeless bodies covering me for one day.”

Peter couldn’t help his snort at her comment. Leave his mate to find humor in the situation after single-handedly eliminating both their captors.

She managed to give him a relieved smile before moving to turn the electricity off and reaching for the wolfsbane antidote to treat his wound. “This is most likely going to hurt.”

Peter couldn’t help but raise a brow. “Really, Stiles? I have an arrow in my thigh, and I’ve been shot and electrocuted multiple times. I can take it.”

Stiles shrugged before pressing the powder against his wound. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

He bit back the scream that desperately wanted to escape him, his whole body seizing even worse than it had when he was electrocuted. But when it finally passed, he started to feel his wounds healing.

Stiles’ hand moved to the arrow in his thigh, and she eyed him questioningly.

Peter managed a weak node before Stiles pushed the arrow through his thigh and out the other side.

Finally, Stiles managed to get Peter untied from his chains and he wrapped his arms around his mate, pulling her close, desperate to feel her near and know that she was alive and all right.

Stiles held him just as tightly, afraid to let him go, worried that if she did he would be taken away once more.

That was how the pack found them twenty minutes later, still unwilling to let go of each other.  They only loosened their hold lightly when their Alpha and Stile’s dad both rushed in to wrap their arms around the pair, murmuring apologies and promises to make things better, the rest of the pack following behind them vowing to never let them out of their sights.

Peter and Stiles met each other’s gaze and shared a small smile.

Things would be fine, they had each other and they had their pack. They might not all be perfect but they were family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't kill me guys!! I promised a full BDSM Scene and Peter claiming Stiles!! I will add an epilogue!!!


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